Familiar
by uurkah
Summary: Jane Shepard & Garrus Vakarian, amongst others, destroyed the Collector Base, but who's to say the same goes for an alternate dimension? Certain people will do anything it takes to have the irreplaceable Commander Shepard fighting for their galaxy. Can Shepard ignore a doomed galaxy to save the one individual she loves? Shakarian. Post ME2.
1. A Clone?

This is my first fanfic so I would appreciate any and all reviews! Thank you Bioware for creating such a unique universe with great characters.

* * *

"Waitress? We'll have another round of a dextro-beer for me, and one of those pina coladas for her, please."

"Impressive, Vakarian. You remembered the name of my favorite Earth drink!" Jane Shepard exclaimed, placing her small hand over the large one of her lover's. They had finally taken a night off to themselves, something Garrus had been proposing since Shepard recruited him again on Omega. Although Garrus tries to block out those two years on Omega being 'Archangel', he found it difficult to forget how empty his heart was when Shepard was dead. One thing he'll never forget, however, was seeing Jane's face so clearly through his scope when she had come to save him.

"I must say, Shepard, you do clean up well." Garrus said in a low voice. "You should do Liara a favor and not return that dress to her. Now that you've worn it, there's no way anyone else can look _this _good in it." Jane rolled her eyes and giggled as she met Garrus' icy blue gaze. She could still remember meeting that gaze for the first time on the Citadel years ago. She had never thought about being with anyone else but a human, yet somehow between the countless missions and close calls together, he stole her heart.

"Just be grateful Liara lent me this dress, otherwise I would have shown up here on Illium either in my armor or my skivvies." Garrus let out a playful growl.

"Not going to happen, Jane. You know how protective turians get over their mates. If I saw anyone, even an Asari, look at your body, they would be eating Gardner's food paste for weeks." Jane let out a hearty laugh. Gardner tried his best to cook for the Normandy crew, but sometimes it proved difficult to accommodate every member's specific needs.

…

_Curses, Shepard, could you have at least _tried_ to do your hair for your first real date with Garrus?_ Jane thought, looking in the bathroom mirror attempting to tousle her hair. She had always wondered what attracted Garrus to her in the first place. She knew she wasn't hideous, but she was by no means some Asari who exuberated sex appeal to all races. She also knew she lacked the tiny waist of a typical attractive turian female, yet somehow Garrus didn't seem to mind her assets. In fact, he has told her countless times how he now preferred her human features- her velvet skin, silky hair, and squishy parts. _Especially my squishy parts_. Jane blushed just thinking how lucky she was to love somebody who loved her back, which was something she never had with Kaiden. Ever since what happened on Horizon, Jane lost all feelings for her former squad mate. Perhaps it was just lust, because her heart never felt as whole as it is when she's with Garrus.

Stumbling a bit out of the restroom, Jane realized she had forgotten what a lightweight she was when it came to alcohol. Not to mention she had forgotten what it felt like to be a little drunk. Garrus and her spend almost every minute together, but it's always on the Normandy sans liquor. She brings him on every mission, something the Normandy crew had grown accustomed to, and they also share her bed every night.

Jane jumped a bit when she felt three talons wrap around her waist, then relaxed when she heard the deep, mesmerizing voice she adored so much. "What do you say we hit the dance floor and show Eternity and all of Illium just how great Shepard and Vakarian work on _and_ off the battlefield."

Jane followed Garrus' lead, and began to fret over how to dance without embarrassing herself like she always seems to do. She was a soldier. Her body was sculpted for fighting and self defense, not for dancing. Luckily, Garrus proved worthy on the dance floor and Jane found herself dancing closely to her turian lover.

"I'll be right back." Garrus whispered in Jane's ear, "What is it you humans say? Nature calls?" Jane loved how Garrus tried to learn human phrases and cultures. She also found it incredibly amusing to have to explain certain things to him, like the first time she asked Gardner to make Jell-o. Jane continued dancing, desperately trying to keep up with the beat without Garrus' help. _Who would've thought a former C-Sec officer and vigilante turian would have a knack for dancing? _She chuckled to herself, as three talons found their way back around her waist. The Asari DJ began to mix up a new song, and Jane felt her dance partner getting even closer to her. Somehow he seemed to have a different scent than what she was used to, but she was too tipsy to really care.

"Get the HELL off my mate!" Jane suddenly heard, along with the unmistakable growl coming from deep within Garrus' chest. At that moment, she saw Garrus looming over another turian, who was now on the floor, blue blood strewn across his mandible. The beaten turian turned to look at Jane, with the same icy blue eyes as her lover, and then went unconscious.

"Spirits!" Garrus shouted, "Can someone explain to me how I suddenly have a clone?" He and Jane stood in disbelief, staring at the turian on the floor. The dancers around them were already crowding around to see what the fuss was about. It really was another Garrus lying there on the ground. Jane felt her head spinning, and it was not because of the alcohol.


	2. Different Dimension

"Well Officer Vakarian, yet again you have done the unthinkable." Dr. Chakwas stated matter-of-factly, "Not only have you managed to steal your human Commander's heart, help defeat Saren _and _the Collector base, but now this? I must say, I never pegged you to be the cloning type."

"Trust me, doc, I don't need another male of _any_ species drooling over my mate right now." Garrus replied, "Besides, if I cloned myself, I would have at least made him smart enough to _not_ get himself scarred like that." Garrus knew Jane thought his scars were sort of sexy, but they were a constant reminder of the two years he had spent with Jane presumed dead. Garrus wondered what this other Garrus had been through to get himself scarred like _that_.

Jane stared in disbelief at the Garrus lying on the bed in the med bay, then to the Garrus who was holding her tightly. "How is this possible, doctor? Their DNA samples are a perfect match, too much so to even be long lost twins. Could this be some new twisted Cerberus experiment?"

"I wish I could tell you, Commander," Dr. Chakwas explained, "but all I can say is we're in the presence of two identical and relatively healthy Garrus Vakarians. Even his tags say as much. The only exception is this unconscious one has significantly more scarring on his mandibles than our Garrus does, including a fresh one he just received in Eternity."

"EDI, has anything unusual come up on your sensors lately that could explain what's going on?" Jane didn't bother explaining the situation because she knew EDI was always listening. This was usually incredibly convenient, except when she and Garrus were in bed together 'blowing off steam' as he had first called it. A blue light emerged in the med bay with a response.

"Actually, yes Commander. Upon requesting permission to dock we were told there was a Normandy docked on Illium already. We assumed there was a mistake and proceeded to dock anyway upon Joker's request. Now that I've scanned the vicinity, I do have a confirmed signal being emitted from a nearby Normandy SR1."

"SR_1_?" Jane questioned in disbelief, even though she knew EDI didn't make mistakes. "That's what our ship was before Cerberus rebuilt us." She continued, thinking out loud. "EDI, see if we can hail the other Normandy and see who's in command."

"Right away, Commander." EDI's blue light slowly faded. Jane's footsteps echoed across the clean, almost reflective floor as she began to head to the elevator. The Normandy seemed so empty without most of the crew, who have taken shore leave to spend time with their families. She figured she should change into proper attire before meeting whoever was in command of the other Normandy. Garrus instinctively followed her.

"You know," Garrus purred in Jane's ear, "I can't help but wonder if perhaps there's another Jane in command on that ship. From all those Earth vids we've watched, I've noticed humans have a strange fascination with sharing partners." Jane jokingly punched Garrus' chest plate in response.

"A _threesome_? One minute you're all jealous and protective over me, and the next you want to invite someone else in our bed? Don't get me wrong- I had a great time at Eternity with you. But my mind is much too preoccupied with, you know, a _clone of my mate_ lying unconscious in the med bay to even think about sex." Garrus let out a laugh that vibrated throughout his chest. Jane chimed in with her own high pitched laugh. This whole situation was so unreal to both of them, and joking was usually how they dealt with difficult situations, outside of the bedroom anyway. Jane turned to Garrus and touched her forehead to his. She had gotten accustomed to this turian version of affection, and had grown to love it. They lingered like that for a minute, savoring each other's fragrance and presence before EDI's blue light illuminated the room.

"Commander Shepard, I was able to hail the other Normandy, and _Commander_ Anderson would like to promptly meet with you. He made me repeat your name several times to ensure he heard correctly. He would like to meet outside of dock E-117 when you are ready."

"Thanks, EDI." Jane immediately headed for the elevator before Garrus stopped her briefly and handed her a pistol.

"We don't know what kind of shit we're getting ourselves into here. Better safe than sorry, especially when this so-called Anderson fellow is calling himself a _Commander_ instead of _Admiral._" Garrus was never unprepared, especially when it came to Jane. He believed it to be his primary duty to protect her, even off of the battlefield. Jane lightly pressed her lips to Garrus' mandible for a second, then proceeded to the door. Garrus fed her sickly looking fish before following directly behind her. He always watched her six- this would be no exception.

…

Approaching the E docks, Jane and Garrus nervously awaited Commander Anderson's arrival. She decided to go alone with Garrus to avoid any more confusion. Not that there were many other crewmates she could invite to join. It made Jane happy to see her crewmates finally get some well-deserved rest, especially after destroying the Collector base and living to tell the story. It made her even happier that Garrus decided to stay with her aboard the Normandy. His personal things were slowly finding their way into her quarters, like his sleep pants and his funny-looking toothbrush. Although she wouldn't admit it to Garrus, she had become so accustomed to his light snoring and the heat he emitted during the night that she couldn't sleep without him now. One night Garrus stayed up doing calibrations and ended up falling asleep in the main battery, and Jane ended up rearranging her model ships and cleaning her fish tank since she couldn't fall asleep.

"C-Commander Shepard?" Jane heard from behind her, interrupting her thoughts. She turned around to meet the gaze of Anderson, who usually never stuttered and who was wearing a ghostly expression on his face.

"Sir!" She saluted, avoiding use of any military ranking terms, which felt unusual to her.

"Shepard, do you mind explaining to me how the hell you are standing in front of me?" Anderson asked, with a sort of sadness in his dark brown eyes. "I went to your funeral. I _saw_ your body being buried on Earth after it was discovered in the hands of Cerberus for God knows what reason. I also saw this turian with wet eyes at your funeral, which is something I thought I'd never see." Jane couldn't help but feel her heart wrench at the thought of Garrus shedding even one tear for her. She shoved that emotion to the side to deal with later.

"Sir, there is much to be explained right now. I currently have two genetically identical Garrus Vakarians- one is beside me, and the other is unconscious in my med bay. And the Anderson I know is an _Admiral_, not a Commander." Before she could continue, EDI's voice came to life in her headset. Garrus tuned in on his visor as well.

"Commander, Jeff and I have been going through the ship's logs and found some unusual readings. You may want to return to the Normandy for analysis."

"Thank you, EDI." Jane once again muted her headset. "Excuse me, Commander Anderson, but we seemed to have found something of interest pertaining to our situation. Would you like to join us on our Normandy?"

Anderson hesitated for a moment, then nodded. He couldn't help but feel his heart pull towards this girl, now a woman, who was at one point like a daughter to him. "I would like that, Commander. But I must ask, who is EDI?"

Jane and Garrus exchanged glances and simultaneously chuckled lightly. "You'll see." Garrus replied, not exactly sure how to explain the AI they had all come to love.

…

There was an odd tension in the air as Jane and Garrus came aboard their Normandy with Anderson. The situation was so strange, no one really knew how to act until they found out exactly what was going on. Anderson looked around the interior of the ship, marveling the upgrades Cerberus had put into the ship. He jumped a bit when a blue light emerged next to him and began to speak.

"Commander Shepard, Jeff and I have sorted through the Normandy's logs and discovered an unusual change in energy signatures that occurred precisely 4.7 hours ago. That is about the time we travelled through the Mass Effect Relay. I also noticed a spike in radiation and abnormal gravity readings for about 10 seconds, then everything returned to normal."

"Who is saying that?" Anderson questioned, looking around the room for the source of the robotic voice.

"That's EDI. Stands for enhanced defense intelligence, and she's the AI aboard the ship. Cerberus installed her initially, but she now has almost full control over the ship, and we have come to find her very trustful and helpful." Jane smiled at complementing the AI as if she were a person.

"So, Joker, care to dumb it down for us?" Garrus turned to Joker, who hobbled in the room and found a seat next to Jane. You can understand EDI better than we can."

"Fine, you want it straight? We're thinking the Normandy made a jump to a different dimension, an, an alternate timeline." Joker wavered, not sure how else to break the news to his Commander and friend.

A few moments of silence passed between them. Garrus felt Jane reach for his hand, and he firmly grasped her small hand into his larger one, his three talons perfectly intertwining with her five fingers. "That would explain a lot." Jane broke the silence, clearing her throat afterwards. It made perfect sense. Jane felt as if she knew that's what had happened all along, she was just too afraid to accept it. It explained the two Garrus', it explained _Commander _Anderson telling her the Alliance found her dead body with Cerberus and then burying it on Earth, and the fact that there were two Normandy's docked on Illium at the moment. She felt Garrus beside her let out a long sigh, something he picked up from her since turians don't usually sigh. She could tell Joker had only confirmed Garrus' thoughts as well. Turians are usually difficult to read, but Jane had learned the meaning of every twitch of his face plates. Her favorite was when he cocked a brow plate, the turian equivalent of arching an eyebrow.

Anderson's headset beeped, breaking everyone's thoughts once again. "Shepard, my presence is being requested by my crew. They are now wondering what is going on." Jane nodded, and stood up to escort him out. "Let me know if you find out any more details."

"Will do, Anderson." Shepard nodded again and smiled at him. This Anderson was exactly like the one she was familiar with, she could see the same kindness in his eyes.

"Sorry to interrupt, Commander, but your other Garrus is beginning to wake up. You may want to come to the med bay now." Dr. Chakwas said, motioning for Jane to follow. Jane took a deep breath and followed the doctor, Garrus following very close behind, placing a protective hand on the small of Jane's back as they entered the med bay.


	3. Scar

Jane followed Dr. Chakwas into the med bay, and was immediately overwhelmed by the sterile scent of medi gel and bandages. She always hated that smell; it brought back memories of her parents dying on Earth. She was only four, but could still remember watching them get beaten by scavengers as they rummaged through her house, taking anything of value. She spent hours in the hospital waiting before a social worker came to her and told her the news. Jane was pulled from her painful memory by a groaning turian lying down across the room from her.

"Jane…" the other Garrus muttered, eyes growing wide in disbelief, then clearing his throat so he could speak clearer. "How…?"

Jane walked over and sat beside him on his bed. She could hear a low growl rumbling from within her lover's chest, but that didn't matter to her at that moment. "Shhh..." she placed her hand over his mouth. She knew that look in his eyes, she had seen it before on Omega when she found 'Archangel', and he realized she was no longer dead somehow. It was a look of love lost and found. Somehow in this dimension, Cerberus was never able to rebuild her from the dead, and Garrus was in love with her just like he was in her dimension. His mandibles were far more scarred than her Garrus' were, and she knew why. Without a love to protect, he became reckless with his own life. She knew this because her own Garrus was the same way when she was dead for those two years. "I know this is going to sound absolutely nuts, but you'll just have to trust me." He nodded and let her continue. "My Normandy went through a Mass Effect Relay, and something triggered us to travel to a different dimension that happens to be this one. We're still working on the details…" He laid there for a few moments, staring into her emerald eyes trying to process what she had just told him. She stared right back into his icy blue ones, as she relived the moment on Omega when she found Garrus again.

"You, Scar," Dr. Chakwas motioned to the turian still lying down, "how about we take a walk to the mess hall. Looks like you could use a decent meal." The turian tilted his head and curiously looked at the gray-haired woman. "Oh, I took the liberty of nicknaming you. I figured it would help us avoid any more confusion, plus it seemed quite appropriate for you."

"Hmmmm, not a bad nickname doc. And I have this guy over here to thank for adding another one to the collection." He said sarcastically, motioning to Garrus. Jane couldn't help but giggle at Scar's remark. He may be from a different dimension, but his sense of humor and tone of voice seemed identical to that of her lover's.

"Look, _Scar,_" Garrus began, clearly amused at the nickname Dr. Chakwas came up for this other Garrus, "you can't blame me for protecting my mate. And the only reason I'm letting your little remark slide is because it appears my girlfriend has taken a liking to you." Jane was now laughing even harder, shaking the bed Scar was now sitting up in. Garrus closely watched Scar's eyes linger on Jane, who was still sitting beside him. Like Jane, he recognized that look he gave her.

"C'mon, _Scar_," Jane was also amused by this nickname, "let's go find some grub. I've learned to make a mean dextro casserole." She walked, almost skipped, towards the door out of the med bay. Something about having _two_ Garrus' around subconsciously elevated her mood. Jane was never an openly optimistic person, even when in her brief relationship with Kaiden. She always maintained the mentality of a soldier- preparing for the worst, but never letting it show. She also had a habit of keeping her guard up, which changed after meeting Garrus. Something about being around him made her genuinely happy, and she naturally opened up to him over time.

Once she was out of earshot, Garrus waited for Scar to stand up and find his balance before following Jane. Both turians couldn't help but fall into matching strides on their way to the mess hall. "It's not so much a casserole as it is dextro mush, but you gotta love the woman for trying." Scar chuckled at Garrus' comment before his expression returned to a contemplative one.

"She's just like my Jane was. Her hair is different, much longer, but the same brilliant red. She has the same kindness in her eyes, too. Consider yourself lucky, Vakarian." Scar stopped briefly to laugh at the irony of calling another turian 'Vakarian'. "I never got the chance to tell Jane how I felt about her. She was with Alenko. Bastard never deserved her. I'm assuming your dimension is blessed with his presence as well?"

"We're… acquainted." Garrus replied. _And I want to punch him in his manhood every time I hear his whiny bitch voice_. It seemed the two turians were indeed identical. Garrus decided not to get into how much he despised the human for how he treated Jane and let Scar continue.

"I never put much thought into an interspecies relationship, but something about Jane gravitated me. She was such a strong, independent woman, but I felt a strange need to protect her. I joined her squad almost immediately and from there we were inseparable. She brought me on every mission, and she began to open up to me to things she couldn't even tell Kaiden about, like her family's death and her fear of balloons. And I'm not the most romantic person in the galaxy, but I found myself developing, er, feelings for her." Garrus was sidetracked by the thought of Jane being afraid of balloons. _Of all the things a soldier can fear, an air filled piece of rubber?_ He shook the thought for now. He would surprise Jane with balloons next time they were on the Citadel to see her reaction.

Garrus could sense how uncomfortable Scar was discussing his emotions so openly, he was a turian after all. It must've been a trait he picked up from the humans, just as Garrus did. "Sounds pretty familiar to me."

"By the way, Vakarian, I never formally apologized to you for making a move on your mate. I know how protective a turian can get. Not to be one of _those_ guys, but I blame it on the alcohol." Garrus flared his mandibles in a form of a smile, and nodded in approval of Scar's apology. He was starting to get used to the kind of attention Jane attracted, being a galactic hero and all.

"Gees I was beginning to think you two got lost in another dimension! _Oh wait_, we already kind of did that." They had finally made it to the mess hall. Jane was stirring the contents on the stove, adding pinches of some seasoning Gardner had purchased on the Citadel by Garrus' request. "Have a seat, both of you. The casserole is ready, I just need to make myself something now." Jane rummaged a bit through the fridge and eventually came up with four pieces of bread, some fruit preserves, and peanut butter. "PB & J, my _favorite_." She whispered to herself, but it echoed loudly across the stainless steel build of the open kitchen.

The two turians watched in amusement as she spread the contents of the jars on the bread and smushed them together. For a small human, she sure could eat a lot in one sitting. Garrus figured he'd explain to Scar later how the Cerberus implants increased her appetite. _Don't want to open up _that_ can of worms._ Garrus thought to himself. He never understood that phrase, he had never seen a worm before, but Jane always said it.

"Dinner is served!" Jane had a huge grin on her face as she brought the casserole to the nearby table where the turians were sitting, anxiously awaiting sustenance. She was no housewife, but she occasionally entertained the idea of being one, especially when it came to Garrus. She loved to fold his clothes when he'd leave them in her quarters and make him a meal every now and then.

Jane began to inhale her first sandwich. Garrus and Scar followed suit, but Scar shot him a look that said _you were right about her casseroles_. They both simultaneously chuckled after exchanging glances. Jane was too busy enjoying her Earth delicacy to notice. Garrus always told her how much he loved it when she made him food, mostly because she was so damn cute doing so much research on dextro foods to make him happy. The three of them continued to eat in silence, accompanied by the low hum produced by the ship's engine. Dr. Chakwas had already grabbed a protein bar and joined Joker and EDI in figuring out how this dimension travel occurred. After a few minutes of filling up and cracking jokes, EDI's blue light had the three's attention.

"Commander, we have found some data pertaining to our predicament that may help us find a way back. Jeff, Karin and I are on the main deck by the CIC."

"We'll be right up EDI." Jane took hers and the turians' plates from the table and put them in the sink. She would worry about dishes later. Garrus jogged a bit to catch up to Jane, who was rushing to the CIC where the others were. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it, slowing her pace a bit. She locked eyes with Garrus for a moment, longing to be able to relax in bed with him for a while. But that would also have to wait. She had to find a way to get back to _her _dimension. A dimension where the Collectors were not a looming threat.


	4. Resurrected Love

Jane tapped her foot impatiently while waiting for the elevator to bring her, Garrus, and Scar up to the second deck where Dr. Chakwas, Joker, and EDI apparently had found some answers. Both turians had their arms crossed in a similar fashion, and Jane couldn't help but smirk at the sight of the two identical vigilantes. "Would you like to take a picture of me, Shepard?" Scar remarked, and Jane looked at him curiously.

"Why would I take a picture?" Jane responded, trying to interpret what the turian had just said to her, wondering if her translator was broken.

"Isn't that what you humans say when you're stared at? I've encountered that phrase many times during my C-Sec days. Always thought it was odd how humans find staring so rude yet they gawk at other species." Scar was now the confused one.

Jane's laugh echoed throughout the confined space of the elevator. "You mean 'take a picture- it'll last longer'? You turians are hilarious when you try to pick up on human phrases." The elevator doors finally opened, and the trio stepped out in sync and headed towards the CIC. "You know, this Garrus here also worked for C-Sec. Seems like our dimensions may not be that different." Jane turned her head away before she noticed the somber look that came across Scar's face. _My dimension doesn't have you. _He thought to himself, his icy gaze piercing through her vibrant red hair. He quickly snapped his eyes away when he noticed Garrus' on him._ Better not piss him off. I know better than anyone what he'd do._

"Hey Commander. We finally had a breakthrough, but I don't think you're gonna like it. From my interpretation of EDI's technical babble, we're SOL." Joker shrugged, then tilted his head at the two turians who were obviously confused about something. "What's wrong with them now?"

Garrus glanced at Scar, then at Joker with an inquisitive look. "S-o-l. That's what I call my sister. I really need a crash course on human phrases sometime."

"From the information I've acquired from Mr. Moreau's choice of words, S-O-L stands for 'shit outta luck.'" EDI gladly responded to the turians' confusion, causing the humans to share a laugh. EDI didn't hesitate to continue. "To elaborate on our current situation, we tracked the Normandy's movements from the last Mass Relay jump on the galaxy map to our current location. I timed our travel with the strange gravity and energy readings, and found that a supernova occurred at the precise moment we passed through the relay." Jane glanced at Garrus, hoping his blue eyes would provide her with some momentary comfort. "The massive amounts of energy emitted from the star's core collapsing caused a temporary gravitational pull that, combined with the energy of the star and the energy of the Mass Effect Relay, created a matter bridge. The matter bridge is what brought us to this parallel universe."

A few seconds passed before Dr. Chakwas spoke. "I went to med school with a gentleman who was obsessed with some Multiverse Theory. He tried spewing out terms of quantum physics to convince us there were an infinite number of alternate universes that existed, each one with slight differences in the decisions we make. The other students and I always thought he was a bit off his rocker, but it appears he was right." Scar lifted his talons up to scratch his brow plate, trying to wrap his head around the science of dimension travel, but found himself more curious about why that man had a rocker, and what a rocker even was. He decided to not bother asking the humans to clarify their phrases _again_.

"SOL. Like you said, Joker." Jane said jokingly, but with a hint of seriousness. "EDI, is there any way to repeat the process and create a matter bridge back to _our_ dimension?"

"We would have to mimic the scenario that brought us to this dimension. We must find a dwarf star that is nearing the end of its life cycle and pass through a Mass Relay at the exact moment its core collapses. This will take time to calculate." EDI stated. Jane swore she sensed doubt in the AI's voice, if that were even possible. "I will begin calculations immediately, Commander."

"Thanks, EDI." The blue orb disappeared, and the five of them were left speechless. The situation seemed like it was getting more and more impossible to get out of now. They were now stuck in a universe where the Collectors still existed, but Jane didn't have her full team with her to even attempt to bring them down again. She let out a long sigh, and started heading towards the elevator. "Let's try and get some shut-eye everyone. Tomorrow we'll brief Anderson and the other Normandy of what's going on." Dr. Chakwas nodded and headed towards the med bay to close it up for the night, and Joker mumbled an inaudible 'good night' and went back to the cockpit where EDI's blue light could be seen. Jane had almost forgotten about Scar until she noticed him heading towards the main battery. "You know, Scar, since the whole crew is pretty much on shore leave, you can sleep in the crew's quarters and have the room to yourself." Jane informed the turian.

"I was a part of the Normandy SR1 when my Shepard was in command," Scar begun, lingering on how he said 'my' Shepard, "and found myself drawn to the hum of the main battery like this guy over here." He motioned to Garrus, who quickly flashed his row of sharp teeth in a form of a turian grin.

"Those calibrations make for a perfect sleep remedy, don't they?" Garrus aimed the joke at Scar, figuring he might as well find humor in their similarities. Scar agreed with a laugh.

"They also make for a perfect way to ignore a human woman flirting with you." Jane nudged her elbow against Garrus and gave him a smirk and a cock of an eyebrow. Scar couldn't help but think back to all the times his Jane came down to the main battery to talk, and he was right in the middle of the gun calibrations. He wondered if he would have taken his damn talons off the keyboard, if perhaps things would have turned out differently for them.

Garrus wrapped his arm around Jane and pulled her in for a close embrace. "I had to seem like I was working, especially when my superior officer would come waltzing in at any given moment. Besides, I wanted to save my best pick up lines for when I knew you were serious about me." He touched his forehead to hers, and they lingered like that for a moment, eyes closed, until they both remembered they were not alone. They said their goodnights to Scar, and headed up to her personal quarters. Scar could see Garrus begin to nip at her neck before the elevator doors closed. He rummaged through the counters in the mess hall, finding some dextro comfort food before heading to the main battery.

As the doors slid open, Scar was overwhelmed by the memories that flooded his mind of events that occurred in the main battery back on the SR1. They all consisted of Jane. Walking over to the crates in the corner, he remembered how she would plop down on one and begin to tell him about the upcoming mission, or how much Kaiden was getting on her nerves. Walking over to the railing by the door, he remembered the way her back arched when she would lean up against it while asking him about his days at C-Sec. He shook his head to rid his mind of the memories. It had been a few years since he'd been on the Normandy. After Jane died, he separated himself from his previous crewmates. Seeing them was too painful for him. It just so happened that Anderson docked the SR1 on Illium at the same time he happened to be there. The cot on this Normandy was a bit more comfortable than the one on the SR1, and a hell of a lot better than sleeping on the hard ground like he was used to. With the help of the hum of the Normandy's engines, Scar slept through the night for the first time in years.


	5. Old Friends

"_Jane! Run!" She could hear her father shouting to her. She ran out the back door of the house and barely made it to the nearby tree line before she heard a gunshot. She watched through the window from behind a tree as four men stormed through the house. The voices of her mother and father could no longer be heard. She saw the men leave with bags and boxes of her family's valuables, and she ran back to the house as soon as their vehicle was out of sight. Her mother was lying on the kitchen floor unconscious, and her father was slumped on the couch. "Jane, sweetie, I need you to call the police for me…" He was so thoughtful and caring even in his final breaths. A bullet was lodged in his abdomen and blood was pulsing out with every dwindling heartbeat. So much blood…_

"Jane, it's okay, I've got you." Garrus whispered, his voice deeper than usual from just waking up. She jolted awake, chest heaving, eyes wider than they should be for the time of day it was. When she realized she was just dreaming, she settled back into Garrus' hold and let out a long sigh. This wasn't the first time he'd waken her up from a nightmare. It would happen every few weeks, usually after a stressful mission. "Bad dream?" Jane simply nodded. He took that as an 'I don't want to talk about it' gesture. He knew her well enough to know she would tell him about her nightmares when she was damn ready to.

"You know something? Before we became whatever we are now, I used to get up at 0500 _every_ morning to start my duties. What have you done to me Vakarian?" Jane accused jokingly.

Garrus leaned in to Jane as if telling her a secret, even though they were alone in her quarters. "What have _I_ done to _you_? You do realize that you made a turian fall in love with a human, follow that human into multiple suicide missions, brush his teeth every night, and use apple scented shampoo on his fringe?" Jane laughed so hard her eyes began to water. Garrus was laughing along with her until he noticed her teary eyes. He abruptly stopped laughing and his mandibles tightened to his face in complete seriousness. "Jane, I, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

Jane tilted her head and gave Garrus an inquisitive look. "Garrus, my eyes were watering from laughing so hard!" He let out a long sigh of relief. "As much of a badass you are on the outside, I don't think you're capable of making your girlfriend cry."

Jane wiggled her way out of Garrus' strong hold to go brush her teeth. She didn't even bother shutting the bathroom door anymore, even with Garrus in her quarters. _It's not anything he hasn't seen before._ She thought as she squeezed the last of her toothpaste tube on her toothbrush. She couldn't help but notice his sharp-edged toothbrush in the cup that was next to hers. She picked it up and marveled at its pointy edges, imagining the pain it would inflict on her if she used it.

Still in her underwear and toothbrush in mouth, she danced out of the bathroom but immediately froze when she saw Scar by the door talking to Garrus. She didn't hear the commotion over the running water. Scar did a double take and his eyes lingered on her exposed flesh for a few seconds. Jane smiled and did what she could to cover up her body with her small hands.

"Morning, Shepard." Scar directed a professional nod in her direction. If turians could blush, he would have been a deep shade of red. "I, ah, just wanted to let you know that Anderson will be on his way to this ship shortly." He shifted his feet uncomfortably. "EDI is still working on those calculations to get you back, so I decided to come tell you myself." Garrus knew damn well the AI was capable of simultaneously calculating and alerting the crew of someone's arrival. _Bastard needed an excuse to come see Jane. _

Garrus took a good look at his equal. It was so easy to let his primitive side take over and become protective of his mate, but he _had_ to remember that this particular turian was really _him_. _Damn dimension travel._

"Thanks Garrus, er, Scar." Jane managed to muffle out of her mouth, toothbrush still hanging out. Like Garrus, the previous day's events still hadn't completely registered in her mind. Scar made a hasty exit out of the commander's quarters, and Jane returned to the sink to finish her morning routine. Garrus was suited up in his silver and blue armor before Jane was out of her pajamas. He kept most of his belongings in Jane's quarters since he rarely slept in the main battery anymore.

Garrus watched Jane suit up for the day ahead of them, amused at how she would fuss over a wrinkle in her uniform or a stray hair sticking out. Behind that commander mask she put on throughout her duties she was just another human female, at least from what Garrus observed in the vids they watched. He wondered when she would open up about her nightmares. _What could they be about? Probably memories of being with Kaiden… _Jane took notice of the soft, contemplative look on Garrus' face as her watched her. He always had that look when he would wake her from a nightmare. She let out a long sigh. She never told anyone about what happened to her parents. It was on the local news and in her military file, but the story never left her lips. Though her presence naturally demanded it, she was never one to enjoy attention.

"My parents…" Jane begun quietly, and Garrus snapped his attention to her, "were shot when I was pretty young. Scavengers came through our house and took everything of value." Garrus sat next to Jane on her bed, wide eyed, and took her small hands into his large talons. "Lucky for me my dad somehow knew they were coming, and told me to run. I never understood how he knew, and why he and mom didn't run with me..." Jane's brows furrowed and eyes narrowed in resentment.

"Jane, I, I'm sorry." Garrus didn't know what else to say. Turians aren't usually the sensitive type, but seeing Jane like that killed him inside. He wanted to find those bastards right then and lodge a bullet in their brains for causing his mate this much sadness.

"No, it's okay, I turned out okay didn't I? I'm just glad you're always there to wake me from my nightmares about it." Jane locked gazes with Garrus, and smiled at the turian. She noticed his contemplative look had vanished from his blue eyes. Jane felt a small weight lift from her shoulders. It felt good to open up to someone about her childhood for the first time. After all they had been through, Garrus deserved to know what would cause her so much turmoil in her sleep.

"Commander Shepard, Commander Anderson has arrived." EDI stated, bringing the two to the present. Before heading to the elevator, Garrus brought his forehead to Jane's and they lingered there for a moment. It was going to be a long and interesting morning.

…

Jane paced the crew deck, waiting for Anderson to arrive. EDI's words from the previous day about their predicament ran through her mind over and over. She didn't know where to start. Her thoughts were interrupted by the approaching chatter coming from a salarian. Jane's mouth hung open, and she froze in place when she saw who was accompanying Anderson.

"Commander Shepard," Anderson nodded, "it's good to see you again."

"Likewise, Anderson." Jane managed to nod and smile in return to the fellow soldier, her wide green eyes still on the others.

"Shepard, I…" begun a shocked quarian, "I was sure I'd never see you again." She approached Jane and pulled her in for a hug.

"Tali!" Jane could feel a slight shake in her old friend's embrace. "There's so much to explain." Tali pulled away, and Jane was sure if quarians didn't wear masks that she would have seen tears. If this dimension's Shepard was anything like her, then this Tali lost a best friend to a Collector ship as well.

"Commander Shepard? Doctor Mordin Solus. Pleasure. Under the impression you were dead. Intrigued by this situation, and in Cerberus upgrades on your ship." The salarian scientist bowed his head slightly, then couldn't help but start marveling the Cerberus upgrades that were missing in his Normandy ship. He had to refrain from rummaging through the med bay right away.

"Mordin!" Jane had to hold back her excitement. Mordin gave her an inquisitive look at her excited greeting. _This dimension's Mordin has never met me before._ She had to remind herself. "Pardon my excitement, Professor. Let me explain." She tried to sound as polite as possible so he wouldn't think she was crazy yet. She motioned for everyone to sit at the table nearby. Garrus emerged, shared greetings with the three visitors on the ship, and naturally sat next to Jane. Right afterwards, Scar appeared. Mordin and Tali stared at the turian that just entered the room, then at the one sitting next to Jane.

"Okay Shepard, please start explaining before someone else walks in and confuses us even more." Tali urged Jane.

"This is going to sound absurd, but you'll just have to believe me. Yesterday my ship went through a Mass Effect Relay en route here to Illium. Garrus and I ran into this other Garrus here, and come to find out, we also weren't the only Normandy docked here. EDI, the artificial intelligence on the ship, along with my pilot Joker did some calculations and discovered we travelled through a matter bridge which brought us to an alternate universe, _this_ universe." Jane paused to let the three absorb the information just presented to them.

"Incredible…" Tali had her head in her hands. "That explains you, Shepard. I went to your funeral and mourned for months after that Collector ship attacked and you died. And Joker is our pilot too! I cannot believe this." She trailed off, shaking her head at the implausible situation her former commander and close friend was in.

"Fascinating." Mordin begun. The others all sat back in their chairs, preparing for the salarian's input on the situation. "Star's core collapsed at precise time of relay travel. Indeed creates matter bridge to alternate dimension. Must time supernova with relay travel to return. Very unlikely." He held his chin in his hand, stroking it as he contemplated.

"How did you know that?" Garrus interrupted the scientist. He didn't think this was all common knowledge. Jane sat at the edge of her seat now, wondering the same thing.

"Overheard salarian scientists discussing while on Citadel few months back. Very secretive. Ceased conversing once presence was known." Mordin was still stroking his chin in a deep state of thought. It made Jane and Garrus incredibly uneasy. Garrus could feel Jane's anxiety, and instinctively grabbed her hand in an attempt to ease her stress. Tali immediately took notice of this exchange. She noticed Scar's somber expression and decided not to say anything yet. She figured the somber turian was the Garrus she knew in her dimension, who was also in love with Shepard and never got to tell her before she died.

Mordin excused himself from the others and went to explore the advancements on this Normandy further. Tali insisted on checking out the upgraded engines, and headed to the lower level of the ship. Jane granted them both permission to explore, figuring EDI would notify her of any strange occurrences. She also figured Mordin was dying to check out the med bay. She chuckled to herself at how Dr. Chakwas would respond to his intrusion.

"Shepard, thanks for the situation briefing. My team and I will do what we can to help you out, although we've been pretty preoccupied with the Collectors. My Joker is requesting my presence so I must return. What are your plans?" Anderson waited for Jane to respond.

"I'm thinking the Citadel might be able to solve my problem. Those salarian scientists Mordin mentioned make me wonder if there's more to this situation than just a coincidental supernova. If we can locate them, maybe it'll help get me back. If Bailey is still there, he might be able to give us access to some files too." Jane wanted to leave Illium, and figured the Citadel would be the best place to start looking for answers. _I also ran out of toothpaste this morning._

"I agree, Shepard. This whole ordeal is beyond me. Bailey's still at C-sec. I'll come along with my crew to the Citadel after we take care of a few things. We'll be in a smaller ship, though. It's best not to attract attention with two Normandy's." Anderson and Jane both chuckled imagining the Citadel's reaction to two Normandy's trying to dock. "It appears Mordin and Tali want to stay on this ship for the time being. Can't say I blame them."

"See you on the Citadel then, sir." They exchanged smiles and Anderson left the Normandy. Jane turned to see the two turians in a casual conversation. _There's a joke somewhere here about Garrus being a schizophrenic. _Jane laughed to herself. "Alright boys, I don't know about you but I am famished. We need our strength to handle what the Citadel had to offer us. Who's up for the daily dextro special?" The turians groaned, and the trio's laughter echoed throughout the empty crew deck.


	6. Evasive & Illusive

"Well look what the cat dragged in! Garrus Vakarian, I thought I would never see you again!" Captain Bailey leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head with a wide grin on his face.

"Bailey, it's good to see you." Garrus responded, nodding his head. Scar decided to hang back on the Normandy while Garrus and Jane explored the Citadel for answers.

"Who's this young lady accompanying you?" Bailey inquired.

Jane couldn't help but chuckle to herself. She wanted to avoid being seen in this dimension by civilians, so she was wearing a ridiculously long scarf to cover half of her face, and a floral print dress Liara bought for her that she never cared for. Bailey's expression quickly changed when Jane unraveled the scarf that was hiding her identity.

"Commander Shepard! I thought you…" Bailey trailed off, still staring at her in disbelief. Jane took a few minutes to explain how they got to his dimension, and how this Garrus wasn't the Garrus he really knew. Bailey just sat there, wide-eyed, nodding at the appropriate times during the explanation. "Shit Shepard, only you could pull this one off." Jane took this as a sign of him believing her, and they all laughed. "So what brings you two in my office?"

"Bailey, I'm concerned about that supernova not being as coincidental as we originally believed it to be. Mordin told me he overheard some Salarian scientists here on the Citadel discussing how to form a matter bridge not too long ago. This whole thing sounds fishy to us." Jane motioned to Garrus who was standing right beside her.

"Now that you mention it, while I was in the break room just yesterday I overheard Ambassador Harper talking on his visor about some star core collapsing or something. Never liked the guy. I'm always waiting for an opportunity to take him down somehow." Bailey was rubbing his hands together, as if planning a revenge scheme that didn't exist yet.

"Harper? Don't know the guy." Garrus tilted his head, and could tell by Jane's expression she had never heard that name either. He wondered what Udina was up to in this dimension. "Any way you could help us plan a meet and greet with him?"

"Perhaps a meet. Don't think the greet will happen. If you don't leave soon though, you could be meeting him in a few minutes. He messaged me saying he needed to talk to me, not sure what though. You should probably put that ridiculous scarf back on now Shepard." Bailey laughed along with Garrus as Jane wrapped the monstrosity around her face, covering her enormous grin. "It was good to see you Shepard, really good. This dimension hasn't been the same without you. I'll do what I can to get you back to yours."

"Thanks, Captain. We'll be in touch." Jane nodded and turned towards the door. Garrus followed right behind her, watching her six as usual.

Just before reaching the door, they were halted to a stop by who walked through them. They both knew Ambassador Harper quite well, but this man lacked something Jane and Garrus were familiar with in their dimension- glowing eyes and a cigar in hand. Jane's dropped jaw was luckily hidden by the scarf, and Garrus held his composure quite well. Jane couldn't believe the Illusive Man was inches away from her, in the flesh- she had always spoken to him via hologram. She never noticed the deep wrinkles permanently creviced in his face.

"Excuse me." The ambassador said passively after just glancing at Jane and Garrus. His voice gave Jane the chills, and she could tell the man was up to no good in this dimension either. He seemed preoccupied with what was on his mind, but looked at Jane a second time. His piercing eyes locked gazes with her and she quickly exited the room with Garrus following very closely behind her.

The door finally locked shut after what seemed like hours to Jane, and she bolted towards the nearest elevator. She was glad the Citadel was mapped the same in this dimension so she knew every turn to make. A few C-Sec officers gave her sideways looks, but she kept going until she reached the elevator. Garrus caught up a few seconds later and the elevator door closed, and Jane breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Look Jane, I know I'm not as fit as I used to be but did you have to spur a cardio workout on me like that?" Garrus opened his arms to let her fit snugly in them. They both stood there during the long elevator ride, catching their breath, comprehending who they just saw in ambassador robes.

"Garrus he saw _me_. Jane Shepard. I know he did. He looked more satisfied than surprised. Like he was expecting me to show up any day." Jane looked at Garrus, her green eyes wide. Garrus knew Jane's hunches were almost never wrong. The only exception he could think of was a hunch of hers that foreign berries would be safe to eat from a bush on Virmire. Neither got much sleep that night due to her frequent trips to the bathroom.

"Let's get back to the ship and lay low for a bit. Don't worry Jane, the bastard has to get through me before he can reach you." Garrus ran his talons along his rifle at the thought, then lowered his head to touch his forehead to hers, and they lingered like that until the elevator doors finally opened. They walked at the fastest pace they could manage without drawing attention. Jane noticed a shady looking character in all black tuning into his visor, watching Jane and Garrus as they walked past. She knew the look of someone receiving an urgent order, and the man replied, "I see them both, sir." _Shit._

Jane and Garrus ran as if an angry gang of Batarians were on their tail. They sprinted through the Presidium Commons, trying not to run into any civilians in the process. Garrus worked at C-Sec for years, and knew the Citadel even better than Jane did. He led Jane into a small corridor at the outskirts of the commons. The corridor led them to the hallway leading to some shops. Garrus could hear the man's footsteps getting fainter.

"Which way now?" Jane asked while they took a moment to catch their breath.

"We might lose him in here." Garrus whirred Jane away before he could finish his statement. He clasped her hand tightly and they kept running. Jane was frightened of what the Illusive Man wanted with her in this dimension. She knew what he was capable of. Garrus led her to an even smaller corridor that appeared to be home to a black market of sorts. People were very secretive, and the commotion of their sprinting caught the traders' attention. A Batarian seller was obviously angered by the commotion frightening his customer, so he stood directly in the middle of the corridor blocking the path.

"Move!" Garrus shouted to the Batarian, but he continued to stand there with one hand on his weapon. Garrus could hear their chaser's footsteps getting closer again. _Am I really going to have to level this asshole?_

"I'm not moving until you tell me who the _hell_ you think you are coming through-" Before he could finish his sentence, Garrus body slammed the black market seller and he was on the ground and out of their way. The customer peaked at the leveled Batarian, took his goods without paying and ran.

"Nice one!" Jane managed to breathe out. They were almost there. She radioed the ship to have the door open and ready. They were coming in hot. Jane was impressed with the speed of the Illusive Man's puppet, but he wasn't fast enough to stop an Alliance commanding officer and her turian partner.

"LEAVE NOW!" Jane commanded as soon as she and Garrus barreled in. She watched the man curse himself and inform the ambassador of his failure as the ship departed. Jane smiled at the sight. She was safe- for now. The farther away they got from the Citadel and the Illusive Man, the better she felt.

Jane went straight to her quarters before briefing the rest of the crew on the situation. She needed to clear her head and catch her breath. Naturally, Garrus accompanied her.

"I think it's time you lose that hideous dress now." Garrus purred in Jane's ear. She laughed and couldn't help but agree, although he probably wanted it off for different reasons.

"Well I think it's time you lose that armor." Jane smirked and closed the gap between her and Garrus. "I need some help with this zipper though. Think you can manage?"

"I can ward off scumbags on Omega, snipe a Scion between the eyes, and be boyfriend to Commander Jane Shepard. I think I can handle a measly piece of metal." Garrus teased.

"Prove it, big guy!" Jane turned to peck Garrus on the mandible but he was on her floor. "GARRUS!" His large body began convulsing rapidly. "EDI send Dr. Chakwas up immediately with a med kit."

"Yes, commander. She is on her way."

Jane tried her best to hold Garrus still to avoid any trauma. Thankfully she hadn't removed his armor yet or he might have already had multiple fractures from his strong body hitting the hard floor. _C'mon Garrus. Not you. You're the strongest person I know. I'm not losing you. Please…_


	7. No Room For Two

"_Commander Shepard? Garrus Vakarian. __I'm the C-sec officer in charge of the investigation on Saren." His voice was deep and smooth, like the soothing hum of a drive core on a fast ship. His blue eyes reminded her of the clearest skies she would stare at lying in the meadow behind her house. The memory of first meeting Garrus overwhelmed Jane's mind. Then her mind fast forwarded to the moments before going through the Omega-4 Relay. She had been with Kaiden the night before Ilos, but it was nothing like being with Garrus. He was surprisingly gentle the first time, and looked at Jane with such passion it was almost enough to send a chill down her spine._

"Give me ten milliliters of Diazepam." Dr. Chakwas' demand was loud enough to pull Jane to the present. "And will somebody find Dr. Solus and bring him in here?" Dr. Chakwas pulled the cap off the syringe with her teeth and kept it dangling in her mouth as she pounded the needle under Garrus' fringe where the skin was the softest. She did this with remarkable accuracy even as Garrus' body continued to convulse uncontrollably. Jane's heart pounded faster than the beeping monitor hooked up to Garrus. She could hear Dr. Chakwas under her breath _C'mon Garrus, C'mon. _Finally the seizure slowed down along with the beeping, until his body lay limp on the bed. Jane held her breath for what seemed like hours, until Garrus' eyes opened wide and found their way to Jane's gaze.

"What the hell happened?" Garrus took in his surroundings, his expression softening as he registered the familiar face of his lover. The door swished open and Jane turned to see Mordin walk in.

"Could be number of things. Simian bacterial fever, Corpalis syndrome, bloodplague…"

"Thank you, Doctor, but let's run some tests before we jump to any conclusions." Dr. Chakwas interrupted Mordin before he could finish rattling off any more turian ailments. She shined a small flashlight in each of Garrus' eyes, checking his pupil restriction. "Garrus, what's the last thing you remember?" She asked, continuing to check various vital signs on the turian. Garrus took a second to try and remember the moments before his collapse, and remembered as soon as he took notice of the commander's blushing cheeks.

"Jane, er, Commander Shepard and I were just about to write up a mission report for the occurrences on the Citadel. Next thing I remember is waking up here."

"You weren't doing anything… physically exerting that may have caused your collapse? And have you been remembering to take your allergy shots?" Dr. Chakwas lifted an eyebrow at the turian. Garrus flinched as she took a blood sample from him and she placed it in a nearby apparatus.

"No, no, not at all. I have been feeling just peachy, honest." Garrus lifted a mandible in the form of a smirk at the thought of picking up yet another human phrase from Jane.

"Well, I'm afraid there's not much I can do for you at the moment. You are physically healthy, Officer Vakarian. Perhaps Dr. Solus can help since he has more experience with other species." Dr. Chakwas finished as she snapped off her latex gloves and tossed them in the garbage bin nearby. "Let me know if you need anything. I promised Jeff I would deliver his lunch to him today while he and EDI work on those calculations to get us back home." Jane and Garrus nodded at Dr. Chakwas as she exited the med bay, then turned to Mordin, hoping he had a theory.

Mordin stood in place, stroking the side of his face with his fingers. His eyes narrowed at the blood test results as he continued to stare at them. "Peculiar situation indeed. Blood tests normal. Vitals back to normal. Should stay for observation. Wouldn't want same thing to happen while off the ship now would we?" Mordin turned to the computer behind him and started punching in data.

"How about something to eat?" Jane said, trying to perk the turian up with the thought of food. She knew how much Garrus hated being under observation because she hated it just as much. "EDI, can you have someone bring me and Garrus some food?"

"The turian you refer to as Scar is in proximity to the mess hall, I will have him bring up one dextro and one amino based meal as promptly as possible."

"Thanks EDI." Jane watched the blue light fade and turned her attention back to Garrus. "I wonder what Tali is up to? I really should sit down and have a good talk with her. She seemed pretty shaken up by this whole alternate reality thing." Jane was trying her best not to smother Garrus with worry, even though it was really the only thing on her mind.

"Jane Shepard," Garrus purred as his talons lightly grazed the side of her face. "Always thinking of other people before herself. When's the last time you did anything for _you_ and not for me or anybody else?"

"Comes with the commander title I suppose." Jane shrugged and smiled. "Dammit Garrus I haven't felt so helpless in a long time. I honestly don't know what I'd do if…" Her voice trailed off. She knew she didn't need to complete her sentence because Garrus knew what she was about to say.

"Jane, I will do whatever it takes to stay by your side. Always. There's no Shepard without Vakarian, right?" He continued to lightly stroke her face as they both basked in each other's presence.

The tender moment was interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching the med bay. "Oh, must be Scar with our grub!" As soon as Jane stood up Scar came into view holding two trays of food. "Man am I starving. You must be too Garrus! Looks like Scar scrounged us up something decent looking too." She went to open the door for him when she heard a loud thud behind her. She turned to see Garrus on the floor again, his body convulsing as it just had before. "Dammit! No! EDI I need Mordin and Chakwas in the med bay _now_!" In a flash Jane was by her lover's side, and Scar joined her in attempting to hold the turian still so he wouldn't hurt himself on the hard floor.

"Push more Diazepam, twenty this time." Dr. Chakwas yelled forward to Mordin who was already by the turian's side, attempting to help the others hoist him onto the bed. Jane stepped back and stumbled over the spilled food tray, her eyes fixed on the convulsing turian. Dr. Chakwas and Mordin were working with incredible speed to stabilize him. Scar stepped back and found himself next to Jane. He stared into her brilliant green eyes, which were darker than usual at the moment. With his eyes he traced every worry line on her face. His dimension's Jane used to have the same expression after she would lose a sqaudmate or a comrade. Those lines deepened further when Jane noticed Mordin was taking a tissue sample from Garrus while Dr. Chakwas continued to attempt to calm the turian.

Jane held her head in her hands and squeezed her eyes shut. _Maybe if I close my eyes, I'll wake up and this will all have been a horrible dream. _Her thoughts drifted back to a conversation her and Garrus had a few months after the Omega-4 Relay. "_A turian-human baby?" Jane let out a hearty laugh. "That can't be biologically possible! Plus I don't think I'm mother material anyway."_

"_Jane, you would make a phenomenal mother. You care for people more than I've ever seen before. Think about it. You, me, a family, and a little house somewhere peaceful." Jane took note of his serious expression now. "There is nothing I want more than to grow old with you, Jane. I… love you."_

"_Garrus, I… That has serious meaning to humans. I…"_

"_I know, Jane. I've watched the romantic vids with you. Towards the end the guy is always holding the girl with passion and he tells her he loves her, and she usually starts crying or something." They both laughed. "But I mean it, with all of my big blue heart Jane Shepard." Jane's eyes started to water, and they both giggled uncontrollably._

"_Garrus, I love you too. I always have and always will…"_

"Dammit he won't stabilize!" Dr. Chakwas shucked an empty syringe and it bounced off a nearby trash receptacle. Scar noticed Jane wipe her eyes and rush over to Garrus' side. Garrus let out a booming roar that echoed throughout the med bay. Jane remembered that was the roar that he let out after getting shot in the face on Omega.

"What the hell is happening to him?!" Jane yelled to the room. Her eyes were swelling up again.

"Jane I am so sorry but I think it's best you leave this to us." Dr. Chakwas stated calmly, motioning to the door. "You too, Scar." She turned her attention back to the turian. Jane figured her being out of the way was best, and she didn't feel like upsetting the woman who was trying to save Garrus' life. Scar wrapped his long arms around Jane and led her out of the door. Her eyes didn't leave Garrus the whole time until he was out of sight and she plopped on the ground, shaking her head.

"I'm sure Mordin will figure it out and treat whatever it is, Jane. It'll be alright. Garrus is a fighter, I know first-handedly." His talons traced her arm up and down until she got goosebumps there. Jane subconsciously enjoyed the sensation he was creating.

"I just wish I knew what the hell was happening to him. I don't think it's a genetically-predetermined disease or else you would have it, right? I hate not knowing… and I hate the thought of losing him even more. There's no way I could deal with that."

"Losing the one you love is… pretty damn difficult. It's like part of your soul is buried along with them. But you won't know what that's like for a long time, Jane."

"Sounds like you know from experience. I'm sure whoever she was, you made her life so happy." Jane smiled at Scar.

"Heh, yeah… except she didn't know exactly how I felt. She was sort of seeing someone else at the time, even though it was someone who didn't deserve her or make her happy."

"May I ask who she was? Maybe I know her in my dimension. If so then I can watch out for Garrus' lingering eye." Jane let out a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood as much as she could at that moment.

Scar contemplated lying about it. It might freak her out and push her away if he told her, but he found himself unable to lie to Jane. "It was… you, Jane." Jane's green eyes grew large.

"Oh… my. Scar, I am so sorry. My presence here in this dimension must be making it hard for you." Jane didn't know what else to say. Suddenly all of the moments she shared with Scar made sense. All of the lingering stares he gave her flashed in her mind and she felt a large weight heave on her chest.

"Jane, I, uh, didn't plan on telling you. I don't want you to feel bad about it, even though the Jane Shepard I knew felt guilty over everything. I just can't find it in me to lie to you." Once Scar let out one confession, he couldn't stop his emotions from pouring out of his mandibles. "Dammit Jane, I love you."

Before Jane could react, she heard the voice of Dr. Chakwas summoning her back to the med bay. "Scar, I… have to go." She gave him a soft look before turning and jogging towards the med bay.

Jane turned the corner and saw Garrus sitting up in his bed. He immediately sensed her coming and met her gaze. _Oh thank God_.

"Garrus!" Jane exclaimed as soon as the doors opened for her. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, and planned on never letting her go until he had to.

"Commander Shepard. Found something interesting from extracted tissue sample." Mordin stated, waiting for the two to stop hugging before proceeding. He projected an image on the blank wall of two tissue slides. "Sample on left was taken while Officer Vakarian was convulsing. On right was taken just now, after Officer Vakarian recovered. Notice signs of molecular breakdown on first sample. Very minimally noted on right sample."

"So what's causing this molecular breakdown?" Jane asked. This was the last thing she thought could be happening to Garrus.

"Must test one more thing before knowing for sure. Garrus, please lie down. EDI, please send Scar to the med bay."

"Mordin what the hell are you going to do to me?" Garrus was starting to grow anxious about his situation. _What the hell could this Salarian be testing me for?_

Scar approached the med bay doors and Garrus let out an incredible roar of pain, and started convulsing again. "Scar please step back." Mordin asked calmly, as if he knew this all would happen. As soon as the confused-looking Scar stepped back a bit, Garrus' shaking stopped. "Fascinating indeed." Mordin started punching in more data into his database.

"Mordin do you mind explain what the hell you are doing to Garrus?" Jane was furious at the Salarian now.

"Entropic cascade failure." He replied simply. "Phenomenon caused by increased entropy created by multiple versions of the same entity in one reality. Only affects non-native entity." Mordin motioned to the Garrus who was now sitting on the edge of the bed motionless.

"What about Dr. Chakwas or Joker? There has to be two of them now in this dimension. Why _me_?" Garrus' frustration was starting to climb. Jane took his large talons into her two small hands in an attempt to comfort him. She felt her frustration coming on, but fought it to stay strong for Garrus.

"Your body's considered foreign matter in this dimension. You are essentially being rejected by the host reality, the one you call _Scar_." They all turned to look at Scar, who was sitting against the wall outside of the med bay. His head was buried in his long talons. Jane felt her heart ache a bit for the poor turian out there, oblivious to the weight of the situation. "Entropic Cascade Failure occurs when two of same entity are alive. Effects increase when entities become close to each other. Explains why only happening to you. Must admit, only heard of this phenomenon by theory. No true case ever recorded."

"Damn turian luck. What can I do to stop this from happening? Send Scar away?" Garrus asked, hoping it would be an easy fix.

"Sending that Garrus away won't fix much. Entities already introduced in close proximity. Entropy of molecules already started. Effects would cease once native entity is deceased." Mordin chuckled.

"You have a twisted sense of humor, doc. Worse than mine, perhaps." Garrus shook his head.

"Also will cease after successful return to your dimension." Mordin added.

"I'm going to ask Scar to leave the ship, just to be absolutely certain nothing will happen again until we can find a way home. If he's as understanding as you, Garrus, then he'll be okay with it." Jane stood up, and Garrus had to stop himself from instinctively following her. "I'll see you in my quarters in a bit, okay?" Jane pecked him on the mandible and headed towards the door. "Thanks Mordin. I'm glad to have found you in this dimension."

"Pleasure to be of service, Commander Shepard. Will let you know of any updates on your mate."

Scar sensed Jane approaching and lifted his head to face her. She motioned for him to walk with her, and he immediately complied. They walked slowly through the Normandy, steps in sync, their heels clicking across the hard floor. Jane explained the entire situation to Scar, impressed with how she kept up with Mordin's scientific explanation. By time she finished, they had walked throughout the entire ship and were now at the bottom level.

"Spirits, Jane, this must be so hard for you to deal with."

"Garrus, when we find a way back to my dimension, I will find you and say goodbye, okay?" She smiled at the turian. She figured he deserved to be called by his _real_ name before his departure. She knows _her_ Garrus would be annoyed with being called Scar all of the time.

Scar was overwhelmed hearing Jane saying his real name. She said it just like _his_ Jane would say it. His thoughts brought him to the last time him and his Jane were together.

_"Another round!" Jane shouted to the bartender on the other side of the bar._

_ "Spirits, Jane. Celebrate often?" Garrus was sitting on the stool next to her, her left hip grazing his right side._

_ "We rid the galaxy of Saren's crazy shit. We deserve to have a little fun!" She smiled and slid her hand across Garrus' arm flirtatiously. She stopped to pick up the shot that was poured for her. "A toast! To us! There's no Shepard without Vakarian!" They clinked glasses and chugged the stinging liquor down their throats. Jane started laughing, then a serious look grew on her face. "_Us._ Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"_

_ "Yeah, heh, it does." Garrus could feel the alcohol making his cerebrum feel heavy. He wanted to tell her right then that he loved her. He wanted to grab her and kiss her like she's never been kissed before. Jane leaned closer to Garrus. He could see through his visor that her heart rate was increasing, and her core body temperature rose slightly. He was so close to her, but they suddenly heard Kaiden's obnoxious voice enter the room. Jane pulled away, but her eyes still lingered on Garrus. Kaiden grabbed her arm and pulled her away. That was the last time he ever saw Jane until her funeral service. _

"Vakarian, you okay there?" Jane was leaning against a nearby pipe, waving her hands in front of Scar's frozen eyes.

Scar's primal emotions were fresh from his flashback. He grabbed Jane and kissed her exactly as he would have at the bar. Jane couldn't fight it. She could feel the turian's emotions and passion, and it felt like her first kiss with her Garrus all over again. Seconds later, she pulled away, slightly gasping for breath. Jane started backing away, green eyes wide, wiping her mouth. Scar stood frozen in place like a statue.

"Jane, I…"

"No, no, no it's okay. Really. I, um, I should go." She briskly walked towards the elevator, and took one last look at the turian before the doors shut. She knew she should have addressed the fact that he told her he loved her just hours before. She had hoped it was just something Scar said in the heat of the moment thinking about his past.

The elevator doors finally opened and she entered her quarters to find Garrus there, already asleep in her large bed. She smiled at the sight of her peacefully sleeping turian, and immediately changed into pajamas and curled up next to him. He subconsciously moved to fit the mold she was in. Moments from that day flashed in her mind, keeping sleep at bay for a while. _Scar kissed _me_. I didn't want it. Garrus will understand when I tell him. I will tell him, right? Of course, no secrets. Scar will be fine. He's leaving and he'll find his niche again. Joker and EDI will find out how to create the matter bridge to get back to our dimension, and Garrus will be fine. He will be fine…_ and she finally fell asleep to the rhythmic breathing of her slumbering turian.


	8. Checkmate

Sorry it's been a while- I've been knee deep in the school semester. Not too much action happens in this chapter, but I really had an itch to write over Thanksgiving break. Thank you so so much for following my story; I get so happy every time I get a new follower! I didn't have anyone to review this chapter, so please do so to help a newbie out! :D

* * *

Garrus opened his eyes to see a mess of fiery red hair on the pillow beside him. He turned to the clock to see it was 1100 and his blue eyes opened even more. Jane's subconscious mind could sense Garrus' awakening, and she turned her body around to lie on his chest with her hand resting on his shoulder as a smirk found itself upon her lips. As much as Garrus wanted to get up and see what was happening on the Normandy, he found it impossible to leave Jane, especially since she never usually slept in this late. He stroked her porcelain face with a talon, and traced it down to her neck, then to her arms until those little bumps popped up on the surface of her skin. There were so many things about a human's anatomy that still fascinated Garrus.

"EDI," he hummed in a low voice, "anything happen so far this morning that I should know about?"

"Nothing dire." EDI reciprocated in a low volume, "Scar has taken his leave of the ship and Jeff is attempting to teach Tali how to play a game called chess."

"Any progress on finding a way home?"

The artificial intelligence paused, as if hesitant to deliver bad news. "Not yet, officer Vakarian. But I most certainly assure you-"

"EDI, it's fine. I'm fine. I've just picked up a little human trait called nosiness."

"Officer- I have been rescanning some data, and may I mention that the timing of that supernova was so precise the chances of it occurring at the exact moment of our passing through the relay at the exact distance required to form a matter bridge is one in ninety seven billion two hundred thirty four mill-"

"Got the point, EDI. You think someone put us up to this? Now who in the great Spirits' underworld would have the knowledge and resources to be able pull _that_ off?"

"My knowledge database is full of vast amounts of information, and the only living individual I know of who could execute such a plan would be my creator, the one you call the Illusive Man."

"Holy shit," Jane sat up, her eyes still partially closed due to the crust around her eyes from sleeping. "It- it makes sense. The Illusive Man went to hell and back to bring me back to life so I could destroy the Collectors. What makes you think he wouldn't take a Jane from another dimension to do it if the one in his is too far gone? Just because he serves as a human ambassador in this dimension doesn't mean he's a good guy. We have Udina for crying out loud."

"But how could he have caused a supernova in _our_ dimension to get us here?" Garrus was thinking out loud. He and Jane immediately looked at each other, both knowing what the other was thinking.

"Oh Spirits. He created a matter bridge to our dimension to communicate with himself, the Illusive Man."

Jane continued Garrus' statement. "He must have struck up some sick deal to have the Illusive Man cause that supernova to get us here to defeat the Collectors." Jane stood up abruptly, her brows furrowed to form a serious expression. "EDI, have Joker set a course to the Citadel. If this dimension's Normandy is not there, then proceed to dock. We need answers, and I'm going to get them."

"Right away, Commander." EDI's blue light then faded away.

"Where are you going so fast?" Garrus said teasingly, wanting to ease the tension she now held in her face. "The Citadel is at least a few hours away. We dropped Scar off at Palaven earlier this morning. Don't blame him, probably wants to lay low for a while. Spirits did he seem lost, and that says a lot coming from me."

Jane had almost forgotten about Scar until that moment. _He kissed me last night. How could I have forgotten? Idiot. It doesn't matter. He was just caught up in the moment saying goodbye._

"Anybody home?" Garrus waved his talons in front of her face.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. Just thinking." Jane sat back down on the edge of the bed. Her brows were relaxed now but her lips were pursed tight, maintaining her serious expression. Garrus reached his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him.

"Yeah I noticed you humans do that a lot." Garrus looked at the clock, then turned his body so that he was completely facing her. He began running his talons through her hair, getting caught in snarls a few times, and slowing tucking it behind her ears until her face finally relaxed. "Well it's already almost 1200, might as well wait to emerge from your quarters until lunchtime. That gives us 25 minutes, Commander." Garrus gave her a seductive look and cocked an eyebrow plate.

"Well what are we going to do with the other 20 minutes, officer?" Jane let out a hearty laugh as Garrus playfully shoved her beneath him.

"Excuse the insubordination, Commander, but I will not be _lied_ to like that." He yanked her pajama shorts off and effortlessly tossed them across the room. Garrus surrounded Jane's body with his own, supporting his weight with his arms on the bed so he wouldn't crush her. He leaned his head to match his mouth to her lips in a passionate kiss. Their tongues swirled around for a moment, and Jane couldn't help but be reminded of her kiss with Scar the night before. She could feel her face getting flushed as Garrus continued to kiss her down her body. _Scar_ is_ Garrus. So of course he's going to have some sort of effect on me. Love one Garrus Vakarian, love 'em all I guess. Oh God, that feels good…_

…

"Checkmate!" Tali exclaimed, holding her hands up in the air.

"Dammit, Tali, you're a newbie! Do you know how long it took me to win a game?" Jane folded her arms, but was smiling at the sight of such a happy Quarian. She figured a game of chess would help get the small crew's minds off of the situation at hand. During lunch Jane had gathered them to debrief the current circumstances, and everybody seemed a little shaken. No one was sure whether they'd prefer the dimension travel be a coincidence or not.

"Well, Commander, you were playing among some of the best back at Alliance boot camp." Joker leaned back in his chair with a smirk across his face.

Jane chucked her empty pudding container at him. "Oh can it. I was the only girl in that division and I eventually whooped everyone's asses at chess!" Joker chucked the container back at Jane but Garrus reached his arm out to catch it before it could hit her. Joker glared at Garrus for blocking his shot.

"Gotta protect my mate. Whether it's a speeding bullet or a flying pudding container." Jane playfully rolled her eyes at Garrus' comment.

"Oh how touching." Joker said sarcastically. "EDI, what's our ETA?"

"We will be arriving at the Citadel in less than twenty minutes. I altered our energy signature to match that of the other Normandy's of this dimension to avoid any suspicion. I will position our ship in a way in which any Cerberus updates will be hidden as well."

"That's great, EDI. Garrus, suit up, but I want you in something that covers your scar as much as possible to avoid raising any red flags. Tali, care to join us?" Jane turned to the Quarian, who looked eager to come along. She figured more people tagging along would increase their chances of getting their hands on that information.

"Of course, Commander. It has been far too long since I've done an off world mission like this." Tali followed Jane into the armory where they began to conceal various weapons underneath their clothing. Tali donned a white jumpsuit as opposed to her usual purple one, and looked like any other Quarian with her helmet on. Jane had on civilian clothes and a hat to try and conceal her bright red hair. Tali stood behind Jane and helped her tuck in her hair. "Don't mind my asking, Commander, but you and Garrus huh?"

"Oh please, Tali, in my dimension we are the best of friends. You can talk to me about anything, got it? And yeah…" Jane let out a sigh, "Me and Garrus."

"The way you two move around each other, it's like magnets. You move, he moves. He moves, you move. I've never seen anything quite like that in a cross species relationship. It's sweet, really." Tali held a sense of longing in her voice. "The Garrus and Jane from this dimension were the same way, just not open about it to each other. It's just nice to see you both so happy." Tali patted Jane's hat to make sure the hair would stay put.

"Yeah, I'm pretty damn happy. Even stuck in another dimension, no offense, he makes any situation bearable." Jane slid a pistol in her boot and paused for a moment, reflecting on what Tali had said about her and Garrus. _Magnets?_

"Commander Shepard, we are docking now." EDI chimed in. Garrus joined Jane and Tali in the armory, his eyes lingering on his mate as usual.

"Okay guys, quick briefing. We need to somehow access Ambassador Harper a.k.a. The Illusive Man's information regarding matter bridges and how the hell we got here. The plan is to lay low, especially since he's probably got people on the lookout for us. There's a ton of cross species shenanigans around here, so hopefully we'll go undetected. EDI has created a transmitter for each of us that will let us pass through any scanners, as well." Jane handed a transmitter to Tali and Garrus.

"Pardon my interruption, Commander Shepard. Want to give Garrus injection to possibly slow molecular breakdown before leaving ship." Mordin entered the room with a syringe in hand as if he planned on giving the injection anyway. Jane felt a small weight leave her shoulders; she knew Scar was light-years away, but the whole molecular breakdown thing never left the back of her mind. The idea of anything happening to her turian terrified her more than any Reaper.

Garrus obliged by tilting his head to give him access to the soft spot below his fringe. Jane couldn't help but think of just how sensitive that soft spot is and blushed a little.

"Pain will diminish in a few minutes. Molecular breakdown should be slowed by 17%." Mordin confidently finished the injection, bowed his head, and exited just as quickly as he had entered. Jane waited for Garrus to shake off the stinging pain. He snapped back into a solid attention; he never let his love for his commanding officer get in the way of his military roots when she was in command.

Jane began pacing back and forth again like she always does when she is briefing for a mission. It felt good to finally be able to do something about their predicament. "Once we hit the Presidium, I want us to split up. We'll use a private channel to communicate. Tali, you're great with tech stuff, so see what you can do to get into Harper's office. Garrus, you know C-Sec really well so see what you can do in the Wards. If something goes haywire, retreat back here, got it?" Garrus and Tali both firmly nodded, and the three of them headed towards the door. "EDI let me know if you notice anything peculiar. If the ship falls in danger, leave us until it's safe to come back. We need this ship to go home."

"Affirmative, Commander." EDI replied. Tali was first to walk out of the ship, and waved to them before proceeding. Jane and Garrus waved back, and lingered behind for a moment.

"I don't think I'll get the chance to do this in fear of getting caught, so," Garrus wrapped Jane in his arms and pulled her in an embrace. He spoke softly into her ear, almost tickling it as he spoke. "Keep me posted on everything you do, Jane. Otherwise I'll be worried about you." His deep voice reverberated throughout her entire body, making her eyes close to enjoy the small, momentary sensation.

"Okay, big guy." Jane smiled in response and touched her forehead to his. They both took a few deep breaths, then she went ahead of him first to spread out the distance between the three of them. He watched her merge into the mass of people, still being able to single her out even in her disguise. Perhaps it was the way her hips moved as she walked, or the way the piece of hair that fell out of her hat reflected the artificial sunlight in the artificial sky of the Citadel.

_That's my mate. I'll find that son of a bitch and get us home where we can finally get that beach house. _He smiled to himself and stepped off the Normandy, ready to find the answers to get them home.


	9. Breaking In

Tali made her way to the Citadel Embassies, walking at a casual pace and strolling through Sirta Foundations pretending to be slightly interested in their products. She found it difficult to put on such a small front while so many thoughts lingered in her mind. She silently thanked the Spirits her suit masked her puzzled expression. _Keelah, I never thought I'd be grateful for this personal prison. Stay focused, I must help Shepard. _Her contemplations hovered around that name. _Shepard._

"Move it, suit rat." Tali was shoved aside by a tall, statured turian who was clearly in a hurry to get somewhere. She was flustered, and with haste exited the store. As she strode through the Zakera Wards, more cautious now to not run into anybody, she noticed the lack of quarians in the vicinity. The Citadel didn't have much to offer a young quarian on his/her Pilgrimage since it was already mostly discovered. She couldn't deny its allure, though. The artificial sunlight basking down from the blue sky, creating reflections of light upon the shiny, clean surfaces. The low hum of advertisements melding together to create some beautiful tune. The subtle glow of various colored lights. Everything was so technologically up to date, unlike the Migrant Fleet.

Tali finally found herself at the Embassies, standing down the stretched corridor from the councilor's office. She warily eyed the C-Sec officer stationed not far from Harper's office next to a large, green potted plant. _There's got to be a way to distract him. _She thought for a moment.

"Shepard, Garrus," she said in a low voice through her comm system, "I am in front of Harper's office now, but I need a distraction to draw away C-Sec just for a few minutes."

"Garrus," Shepard responded first, "you know how C-Sec works better than Tali and I combined. What does it take for an officer to leave his post?"

Garrus chuckled. "Fortunately for us, not much. Most of these boys are fresh meat. Routine. They station the big dogs by the docking station, Flux, or as puppies for the Council. All it's gonna take is an obnoxious enough distraction to peak his curiosity. When I first started in C-Sec, nobody ever actually arrested someone for having a mental breakdown. Unless weapons or threats were involved of course."

"Well Vakarian, you know obnoxious pretty well. Any ideas?" Shepard teased.

"Humans are viewed as emotionally unstable creatures, especially by turians. I, uh, would have to say that statement applies to a vast majority of your species. _But of course _not you, Commander." Garrus spoke that last sentence with a mixture of sarcasm and teasing. Tali's laugh was picked up by her comm.

"Officer Vakarian, are you implying I am emotionally unstable? You of all people should know Commander Shepard does not take lightly to such insubordination."

"Well once a month a certain woman of mine's core body temperature rises by .4 Kelvin, and it often correlates with the excessive need to cuddle and watch romance vids, followed by lacrimation and a craving for chocolate."

"Vakarian, once we get off this station it is _so_ on." Jane laughed, and Garrus and Tali joined. Jane had always loved going on missions with Tali not only for her tech abilities, but because they could have a little fun since they were all so close. Jane had almost forgotten for a moment that this Tali was not the one from her dimension. "Okay we've got information to acquire. I'm thinking I should make a little drama scene in the Embassies, just a ways from the councilor's office. It should be enough to draw the officer away, then I'll calm down after enough time passes for Tali to leave safely. This should be a piece of cake. Garrus, I'm going to need you on the receiving end for once." There was a slight pause in her speech. "Shit, why do our words always go somewhere dirty? You get the idea. Rendezvous in five."

"Sounds like a plan, Shepard. I'll contact you once I've successfully obtained the data from Harper's office and escaped. I'll need the distraction until I clear his office." Tali positioned herself down the corridor from the councilor's office and waited for her cue to break in. She realized that her heart rate had quickened, and she felt a rush pulsing through her veins she hadn't felt since she went on missions with _her_ Shepard. Shepard was her best friend, and she had missed her terribly. _Shepard's going to find a way back to her dimension. She's going to leave. I will have to say good-bye to my best friend again. _Tali shoved that thought to the back of her mind to deal with later. She needed to concentrate on breaking into Harper's office.

"Remember Jane, Harper has agents on the lookout for you still. Your physical disguise is convincing enough, and Harper probably thinks you're going to be stealthy. Just... be careful. And don't be afraid to _really _give it to me. This might be fun, doing a little role playing." Garrus finished in a low voice, preparing for his lover's fake argument against him.

"DON'T YOU LIE TO ME!" Tali perked up upon hearing Jane's outcry. It didn't sound much like her commander since she changed her voice to avoid suspicion. She noticed the C-Sec officer in the corner was playing around on his Omni tool, but jolted his head up at the outburst. Tali remained hidden around the corner from the officer. "I KNOW YOU SLEPT WITH HER. HOW COULD YOU DO THIS? TO ME? TO _US?_" Jane sank to her knees at Garrus' feet and began weeping deafeningly. Garrus felt the tiniest tug on his heart seeing Jane like this, but he reminded himself this was all an act. She was quite convincing.

"Please don't make a scene. I can explain." Garrus felt incredibly awkward, turians aren't very talented at expressing false emotions, something humans were obviously accustomed to doing. Garrus put a hand on Jane's shoulder, bracing his auditory canals for another round.

"I HATE YOU. I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN." Jane slapped his hand away, and began another series of wails as the C-Sec officer approached her. _Good, we drew him away. Piece of cake._

"Ma'am, please calm down." The officer said complacently. He gave Garrus an annoyed look that said _you're with this crazy human?_ Garrus shrugged his shoulder plates.

Tali had just linked her Omni tool with Harper's door. Security was incredibly tight, which Tali expected, but the door was no match for her. Her fingers danced along her device for a few more moments until she heard a _pop_, saw a green light flash, and she was in. She slid her long phalange into the gap in the door and pulled it open quietly and entered the office. She installed a few extra algorithms to make it more time consuming to open in case Harper came back early. She also transferred a few viruses through the nearby security cameras to avoid detection. Citadel systems were protected quite well, but not enough for a quarian. Quarians had to be exceptional at tech manipulation in order to keep the Migrant Fleet as functional as possible. Tali overheard there was a Council meeting in session, so she had time to acquire the data Jane needed. She activated her trusty Omni tool once again, and began to effortlessly hack the Councilor's computer. She couldn't help but notice a full ash tray and some empty glasses strewn about the room on various tables. She looked around to see if there was anything else she could snatch that could help Shepard. It seemed Jack Harper kept everything as virtual data. His office was quite tasteless. 5% data uploaded to the Normandy… 10%... 15%...

"Ma'am I'm afraid we're going to have to detain you until you can calm down. The Embassies are to be kept absolutely peaceful at all times." The officer activated his comm. "Yeah, uh, I need a detainment officer immediately in the Embassies." There was a short pause and the officer chuckled. "No, just one officer will suffice for this _human_." _I've heard enough ruckus on the Citadel to know I shouldn't be detained for just some breakdown. Something's not right… shit shit shit._

This was not _at all _what Jane and Garrus imagined would happen. They survived multiple suicide missions, and Citadel Security would be the ones to break their streak? The detainment protocol in this dimension differed from that of their dimension, and Garrus was sure Harper had something to do with it. Jane opened her mouth to try and work her charm on the officer but he walked away as another came up from behind her and cuffed her. Jane turned to where Garrus was standing only to see nothing. Garrus was gone, he left her. Jane knew there was nothing she could say to get out of the predicament. The officer shoved her along on the way to security, regardless of the fact she cooperated. There was no sign of Bailey anywhere to save her. He confiscated her utilities, and placed her in a small empty room.

"You're here until your precious human councilor gives the okay to let you out." Spat the turian, obviously annoyed by either the human councilor or the fact she was a human, perhaps both.

"Is that standard protocol around here?" Jane ignored the officer's attitude. Her voice was calm, completely opposite than what it had been just minutes before.

"Councilor Harper required all detainees to remain as such until he authorizes release. He's also the one who influenced C-Sec to be strict, especially in the Embassies. Never understood exactly why, but I'm not complaining." The officer seemed to change his attitude once Jane changed her demeanor to that of her own. He tilted his head to examine her more thoroughly. She was quite beautiful, for a human at least. She possessed an aura that made him feel calm. The officer shut the door and she heard his footsteps as he walked away. Jane buried her head in her hands. _I hope Tali got out of there… and Garrus better have a damn good reason for leaving me like this._

"Abort immediately, Tali." Garrus informed Tali as soon as he was out of the officer's earshot. "The officer is returning to his station. Forget the data. GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE."

"Working on it!" The download was only 35% complete, but that would have to suffice. Tali figured she was a bigger help to Shepard not behind bars. She opened the door and peeked out to make sure the officer hadn't made it back yet. She resealed the door, and casually walked away as if nothing happened. Tali exhaled in relief. "Shepard, Garrus, I am out. What is your location?"

"Meet me in front of the Citadel Souvenirs." Garrus stated. He would explain everything to Tali in person in a more crowded area.

…

"I cannot believe Shepard is detained. Oh Keelah…" Tali shook her helmet. "I can't help but feel at fault Garrus. I just needed a distraction. I didn't think this would be the outcome! I'm not too familiar with the Citadel but I had no idea…"

"Tali, don't blame yourself. Data from Harper's computer is arguably our best bet at getting back to our dimension. It might contain data about creating a matter bridge. You did good work. We could not have done this without you." Garrus placed his talons on Tali's arm to truly convey her importance in this mission. Tali would be lying to herself if she said she didn't enjoy the attention from Garrus. She would never act upon it, but she had thought about it back when they were first recruited. She knew Garrus could never feel for her what he does for Shepard.

"So what do we do now Garrus? We have to get to Shepard before Harper does." Tali held her head in her hands and let out a long sigh.

"Oh I've got a plan. I sort of, ah, had to leave Jane while she was getting cuffed to avoid detection. Couldn't risk getting recognized just yet. The officer that arrested her is an old friend of mine. I'm sure I can pull some strings. She is going to be piiiissed at me later for that."

"She'll understand once you get her out I'm sure. But what if you don't know this officer in this dimension? You mustn't forget things are different here."

"Before all that trophy… tropic... failure… whatever it's called set in, Scar and I shared quite a few words. Wouldn't you want to pick the brain of yourself in another dimension? I had to know what differences we had. The officer, name is Joram Talid, came up in conversation. Big politician. Anti human. I saw him almost get assassinated. Apparently in your dimension he's just C-Sec. Anyway, him and Scar, er, me, I guess were pretty tight."

"How am I in your dimension? You know I have to ask now." Tali questioned curiously.

"Tali'Zorah, you are exactly the same. From what I can tell at least. And trust me, that is a good thing. Well I'm going to go see what rabbit I can pull out of my hat with Talid. Probably best I go alone."

"Garrus, you are picking up more human traits and phrases than you'd rather admit. It's cute though. Shepard is infectious, in a good way. You don't know how nice it is to see you too actually _together._ You are so much better than Kaiden, that Bosh'tet." They both laughed at the shared annoyance with the whiny biotic.

"That's one thing our dimensions have in common then." As soon as the words left his mouth, Garrus was shocked at how casually he spoke of being in another dimension. He thought he had seen it all.

"I'm going to return to the Normandy. Comm me if you need me for anything, and please update us when you get Shepard."

"Will do, Tali. Good work today. I'll get our girl back. Garrus Vakarian always has a plan."

…

Jane paced back and forth in her empty room. Every step echoed across the bare walls. She couldn't understand why they didn't at least put informational posters or paint on the colorless walls. Something that perplexed her even more was what Garrus was planning. Her turian lover wouldn't leave her like that without having a plan. Jane had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach, one that has never failed her. The Illusive Man/Jack Harper had much more pull than she had expected as a human council member. She felt stupid for underestimating the situation. Her mind had been so preoccupied with going home to save the one and only person she truly loved, she allowed other circumstances to slip her mind. The Collectors were still attacking human colonies in this dimension. It is woven in her soul to save lives, could she really leave this dimension knowing the Collectors would eventually take over? _One problem at a time. Just think about that beach house. With Garrus. Living off the vids. Little turian-human babies running around…_

The sound of a nearby conversation interrupted her thoughts, and she tuned in. "I have explicit permission from the councilor to question detainees as I please, officer Talid. Now please, step aside." Footsteps grew closer to the room Jane was in, and their proximity made her heart race in a primitive response to a threat. The door beeped, a green light flashed on, and the door opened to reveal a familiar face.

"Kaiden?" Jane's emerald eyes were wide, and she didn't even bother to go along with her disguise. She blinked a few times, clearing her corneas to ensure what she was seeing was true. He had to be expecting her. Anderson swore to keep quiet about her appearance, as did everybody else. Kaiden was there for a reason, and Jane was going to find out.


	10. Lieutenant

Slowly but surely I am getting through this story! I've got ideas for a sequel for my second fanfic that should be out later this year. Thanks so much for all of the followings and reviews- they make me want to keep writing :D. As always, Mass Effect & characters are property of Bioware, not me.

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"_Shepard, I, uh, was wondering if you wanted some company. You know since Ilos is practically suicide. No, no. Too callous. Don't want to kill the mood." Garrus scratched behind his fringe and continued pacing beside the Mako. "Shepard, your waist looks _very_ supportive tonight." Garrus slammed his hand down on the hefty tire of the Mako in frustration. _Dammit Vakarian she's your best friend just go talk to her._ He thought, finally departing from the Mako to make his way to the elevator._

_ "Turian, you look like you're about to march into the trenches of hell." Wrex mused, whose booming voice caught the usually-cautious turian by surprise._

_ "Wrex." Garrus nodded to the krogan. "I was just, uh, going to see if the commander wanted some company before we reach Ilos. You know, moral support." Garrus used air quotations with two of his three phalanges at those last two words._

_ "Do I look like some pyjak that was born yesterday?" Wrex crossed his brawny arms. "You want to make Shepard your mate. Just because humans can't smell your hormones doesn't mean I can't." Garrus fidgeted with his fringe. Wrex continued, unphased by the obvious awkwardness Garrus was experiencing. "Well good luck, I saw Alenko at his post slicking some gooey stuff in his hair. Hot date I'm assuming."_

_ "Uh, thanks, Wrex." Garrus strode to the elevator as quickly as he could without running. He could hear Wrex let out a hearty laugh as the doors closed. Garrus sighed and leaned against the side of the elevator while it slowly gained altitude. To his surprise, the elevator came to a halt much sooner than he had expected. To further his surprise, Kaiden came waltzing in the elevator._

_ "Garrus, hey." Kaiden was clearly shocked to see the turian. "Thought you'd be off blowing steam or whatever it is you turians do before a big mission." Garrus could see the human's core body temperature had risen slightly since entering the elevator. He also noticed his hair looked sort of… spiky. _Is that fringe?_ Kaiden reached to press the button that led to Jane's quarters, but stopped when his finger was just inches away after noticing that button had already been pressed. Garrus shifted uncomfortably. "Were you… going to see Shepard?" Kaiden asked accusingly, as if doing so was a galactic offense._

Spirits, you're an idiot. Shepard and Kaiden are sort of a _thing_. Of course she would want to spend time with him before we throw ourselves at Saren and Sovereign. _Garrus cursed to himself. "Whoops, did I press the wrong button again? You know sometimes my talon slips on these damn things." He quickly reached over Kaiden to select a different level. "I meant to go to the mess hall and grab some grub. Can't fight on an empty stomach you know." He noticed Kaiden's heart rate quicken a bit when he loomed over him. _Do I make Alenko nervous?

_The elevator doors opened finally, and Kaiden cleared his throat when Garrus didn't exit. "Second deck, guess that's me." Garrus' voice boomed in the small quarters of the elevator. He purposely straightened his long vertebrae, and brushed up against Kaiden while exiting just to get the biotic's heart rate up again. If he couldn't have Jane that night, he at least found comfort in the fact that he had a physical effect on the man that would have her._

…

"_Want some company?" Kaiden rhetorically asked his commanding officer, continuing to approach her._

"_Kaiden, hey. Just going over some mission files from Feros. I haven't heard from O'Connell since and I'm-"_

"_Really Shepard? Mission files? You know we're coming up on Ilos in just a few hours. Thought maybe you'd want this time to… relax." Kaiden took the datapad from Jane's hands and set it down on her desk, which was scattered with various other datapads and memoirs. One object in particular caught his eye, and he picked it up to examine it further. It was a hologram of Jane, Tali, and Garrus. Jane was in the middle, both arms resting on the shoulders of her fellow comrades. Tali had her elbow resting on Jane's shoulder, and Garrus' three talons were tightly clutching Jane's waist. The three looked as though they were in the middle of laughing, while the lake of the Presidium shined beautifully in the background. Kaiden's lips pursed and brows furrowed while examining the image. "When _was_ this? Where was I?"_

"_You were helping Udina with something while we were docked on the Citadel. I grabbed some lunch with my _friends_. Is there a problem?" Jane asked, not even realizing her voice switched over to that of his CO, not girlfriend. If Kaiden was looking for desperate love before reaching Ilos, this was certainly not getting her in the mood._

_Kaiden felt particularly bothered by the former C-sec officer at that moment. He couldn't pinpoint it at the time but he had later realized it was jealousy. "I don't get what you think is so special about that turian. He's just some kid looking to defy-"_

"_DON'T talk about Garrus like that." Jane had her finger inches away from Kaiden's face now. Her eyes were reduced to slits of emerald. "He is one of the best soldiers I've ever fought beside. I wouldn't want anyone else on my six." Kaiden flinched at that comment. "He's investigating one of his own kind, a SPECTRE for God's sake, Kaiden! Have you joined the xenophobia club now, too?" Jane had her hands on her hips, leveling Kaiden with an accusing stare. She realized her ears were getting warm, and her heart was racing in her chest. _Why am I getting so worked up over this? Over Garrus? _She rubbed her forehead with one hand, the other still perched on her hip._

"_Jane, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. You're just sensitive because of the mission- I get it." Kaiden approached her, his warm brown eyes wide. Before she could protest, he wrapped his arms around her protectively. Jane softened her stance at his touch, but didn't reciprocate the action. She could never pinpoint why she ended up becoming somewhat involved with the Alliance officer. Her head often trumped her heart at that point in her life, and he was a safe choice. He was a good looking and dedicated Alliance soldier. Jane thought she'd end up alone once the Alliance was done with her, so when Kaiden expressed interest in her towards the latter part of Anderson's command of the Normandy, she figured she had nothing to lose. There was no one else at that point she could see herself with anyway. Not yet at least…_

…

"Jane, I had to see it with my own eyes… you _are_ alive." Kaiden approached Jane, his arms moving in a fashion as if reaching for her.

"It's Commander Shepard." Jane said coldly. She was slightly surprised at how it sounded after the words left her lips. She was still bitter towards Kaiden after what happened on Horizon. "_Then I saw you," _he had written in that message to her, "_and everything pulled hard to port. You were standing in front of me, but you were with Cerberus. I guess I really don't know who either of us is anymore. Do you even remember that night before Ilos?_" _Wait._ Jane tapped the brakes on her bitter thoughts. _This Kaiden was my boyfriend in this dimension when I died, and he never got the chance to be a truly untrusting asshole on Horizon. _Jane reminded herself. Regardless, Jane knew he was up to something and wasn't going to give in to his warm gaze. She needed facts.

"We can worry about formalities later. I need to get you out of here, Shepard." Kaiden corrected himself in a fashion that suggested he was expecting her bitter reaction.

"There's a reason you're here, Alenko. I'm staying in this cell until I find out why, or until someone breaks me out, which is only a matter of time." Jane kept her voice confident and steady.

"Dammit there's no time for this!" Kaiden snapped, his body turning away as he spoke in an attempt to shield his anger. He turned back to Jane, his brown eyes large and desperate. He hesitated a moment before speaking again, as if he wasn't sure he should say what he was about to say. "I promise I will tell you _everything_ if you would just come with me. This is all such a mess. Let me try and fix this, please." It seemed as if Kaiden was talking to himself just as much as he was to Jane. She was perplexed at this point, but figured she could take down Kaiden if that's what it came down to, as long as this dimension's Kaiden had the problematic L2 biotic implant just like her Kaiden had.

Jane met his gaze for a moment, considering her options. Kaiden would more than likely have information about her situation, more than she could learn in that damn empty room on her own, and more than Garrus would come across. She also figured the chances of this dimension's Kaiden working for the enemy were slim, and figured she would be relatively safe with him. _The sooner I find out exactly what the hell happened, the sooner we can get back and know Garrus is safe. _She let out a long sigh.

"Okay, where are we going?" She said hesitantly. "And don't try _anything _funny Alenko or I will have no problem smashing the shit out of you and your biotic headaches will be the least of your pains."

To Jane's surprise, Kaiden smiled. Little crowfeet appeared next to his eyes while he let out a chuckle. "The same Jane Shepard, I can't believe you're here. I've missed you so much." Before Jane could react, Kaiden's arms were around her tightly. She put her arms on his back and patted it a few times before ending the embrace. "I'll clear things up with officer Talid then we can leave. We'll be going to my apartment right by the Silversun Strip. I'll be back in a minute."

Kaiden left the room, locking the door behind him. _Damn._ Jane thought. _Can't make a run for it._ She heard Kaiden raise his voice, then footsteps approached the room again.

"Alrighty Shep, let's move." Kaiden motioned for her to follow him down the hall. Jane flinched at the nickname, it was one she absolutely despised.

No one seemed to be paying any particular attention to them, which Jane was grateful for. Kaiden halted at the nearest rapid transit station and called for a car to take them to the Silversun Strip.

"Ever been to the Strip?" Kaiden raised an eyebrow at Jane, awaiting her response.

"No. Guess I've never had that much free time here. Always spent it picking up supplies, or doing favors for people." Jane was beginning to find the casual talk extremely uncomfortable. She wondered why Kaiden had not yet asked about her _existence._ She was dead in this dimension, and he was probably front row at her funeral. _He knows a lot more than I thought. And if he had anything to do with this matter bridge bullshit I will make good on my promise to clean his clock._

"Should have figured. You were always helping everyone out but yourself it seemed." He saidcasually.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Jane felt slightly disconcerted at either his comment, or the fact that she knew he played some role in bringing her here to this dimension. Before Kaiden could respond, a car pulled up to take them to their destination. He opened the door for Jane and slid in after her.

"Forget what I said. You are going to love this place. There's a casino, an arcade-"

"Kaiden, I don't care about any of that. I care about getting back _home._" She put extra emphasis on the last word, hoping he would pick up on it.

"Not here." Kaiden cut her off. "Wait until we're in private. I'll explain everything." He finished shortly. Jane spent the rest of the ride staring out window of the car, marveling at how this Citadel looked exactly the same as her's. After a few minutes the car began to slow down, and Jane's pupils constricted at the bright lights of the area they were approaching. Neon signs of every color were illuminating every square inch of this wondrous place. This was certainly an area of the Citadel she had never been to, although she had heard of it. It was a place that Jane figured was created by the Asari after discovering the Citadel, definitely not by the Reapers or Protheans.

"Tiberius Towers, here we are!" Kaiden announced, breaking the silence. "Before we get out of the car…" He turned to face Jane and fumbled with her scarf and hood a bit to mask her fiery hair. He slowly tucked a loose strand behind her ear, his fingers lingering on her face.

"Kaiden, I've gotten this far without being recognized today. I'll be fine." _I'll have to tell him I'm a taken woman before he gets any ideas…_

"Right." He abruptly removed his hand from her face. "Let's get inside, shall we?"

…

"Shepard got detained?!" Joker exclaimed, causing Garrus to move his visor away from his auditory canals as he spoke. "Wonder how _that'll_ go over with the Alliance. 'Hey Admiral Hackett? Yeah so we sorta went through a matter bridge to a different dimension. Garrus almost died because he encountered himself, who also happened to be in love with Commander Shepard. Then he got her locked up-"

"Joker, politics are much different here. Do you _really_ believe I would do anything to put Shepard in danger?" Garrus was clearly irritated. He already felt horrible for leaving Jane to be taken away, but he couldn't risk getting seen by Talid yet.

"Yeah, yeah, Tali told me everything. The Illusive Man, Harper, whatever the hell he calls himself here, has the Citadel on lockdown. I'll bet you a round of shots that bastard has something to do with all of this. So what's your big plan to get her back? You have one, right?"

"I know the officer that took her away, and the other me confirmed this too. I'm going to see what strings I can pull in that department first. I should be able to work my charms and get her out no problem, unless there's even more to this damned dimension. If that fails, we'll go to plan b."

"What's plan b?"

"Hmm, ask me if plan a fails."

"You're the worst turian I've ever met."

"So I've been told."


	11. Not Again

Don't mind the BSG reference in this chapter, it's just me trying to keep this rated T! Thank you all for reading & reviewing- you are the reason I keep writing this! This goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway- BioWare owns all! :D

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Garrus eyed officer Talid sitting at the C-sec desk. It was strange to see the popular political figure be nothing but a C-sec officer in this dimension. He seemed to be casually browsing the extranet, probably taking advantage of the priority speed he gets as a C-sec employee. Garrus remembered those days all too well. He was about to casually approach the desk when he heard a familiar voice come from around the corner.

"Officer Talid, good to see you." Garrus poked his head from around the corner to see the Illusive Man looming over the turian, his hand on the desk supporting most of his weight.

"Ambassador Harper." Joram nodded out of forced respect. Garrus could see by the twitching of his mandibles that he was incredibly irritated by the man. "What can I do for you?"

"Just checking in on how things are going around here. I presume you've told your men to enforce the strict orders I've put in place to detain anyone with suspicious behavior?" He was standing tall now, his hands behind his back and his chin high. Garrus recognized this as a universal display of dominance.

"Yes sir. We actually just detained a human female who was behaving erratically just outside the embassies." Joram's mandibles were tight to his face.

"And where might I find this young lady?" The Illusive Man tilted his head, beginning to walk behind the desk.

"An Alliance officer took her. I confirmed he was given special privileges by you, so I let him." Joram finished his sentence with a dismissive wave of his hand.

_Shit. _Garrus cursed to himself. He cursed himself for leaving when Jane initially got taken away. He cursed himself for leaving her alone in all of this, although she clearly wasn't alone now. He thought he knew C-Sec, and thought he could rescue her. Now she was gone, and he had no idea where she was. _Sprits, wherever she is, let her be safe._

"What did she look like?" The Illusive Man tapped his index finger on the desk impatiently.

"Bright red hair from what I could see of it, green eyes, average human height, slightly muscular. She was heavily dressed so that's all I can really tell you. "

"You _imbecile_!" Jack Harper slammed his fist on the desk, resisting the urge to strangle the turian. "If she or the Alliance officer returns I want you to contact me immediately. Who was the Alliance officer that took her?"

Joram held his head with three talons in frustration. He didn't like speaking to humans for this long, especially this one in particular. "A Lieutenant Alenko took her. She was arguing with a turian. He fled the scene before I could get a look at his clan markings." He spat at the thought of a turian being that involved with a human.

_Double shit. Of all people to take her it had to be someone who's madly in love with her? Pull it together… He might not even love her in this dimension. _Garrus doubted that thought. _Don't get protective, this might work to our advantage._

"Vakarian." Jack said quietly to himself. Garrus was thankful turians had exceptional hearing, and that Joram wasn't paying much attention to the ambassador. His heart was racing. He contemplated leaving right then and there, but wanted to hear the conversation in its entirety.

"Get back to work, officer. And do not release anyone without me _personally _doing so. Am I clear?" Jack was right in the turian's face, and Garrus could tell Joram was furious. Turians are apex predators, and do not like to be challenged dominantly.

Joram stood up straight, almost a foot taller than the human. The Illusive Man lividly stared down the turian, and Garrus could see his heart rate climbing through his visor.

"Yes, _sir, _you are clear. But that does _not _mean I answer to you. If you ever become a councilor, then perhaps I'll begin to consider it." Joram spat. Jack was frozen in his place, trying his best to keep his suave composure.

"Carry on, officer. But I'd watch your ass if I were you." Jack briskly walked away from the desk, leaving Joram standing there. Garrus was so fixated on Jack's fury that he didn't realize Joram was staring at him.

"Vakarian? That you?" Joram had his head tilted to the side, slowing approaching Garrus to get a closer look.

"Joram, hey. Uh, how are things?" Garrus silently cursed himself for always sounding so awkward when he's nervous. Joram closed the distance between them to greet his old friend.

"You are the last person I'd expect to see around here. I just saw a vid earlier today about you. 'The great Garrus Vakarian arrived on Palaven!'" Joram did his best impression of a news reporter. He was clearly already over the incident with the Illusive Man.

_Scar. Wonder how he's doing? _"Yeah I get around. Uhh, I get around the galaxy, I meant of course."

"You look good, Garrus. Last time I saw you in person, you seemed pretty… down. Even the footage the media managed to get of you made you look like shit."

"Ah, I always found your honesty refreshing, Joram. Unlike that human male you were just dealing with, huh. What's the issue there?" Garrus was ready to pry for information. He could catch up with Joram back in his dimension if he so wished.

"Filthy human. Hated him since the day I met him. Bastard thinks he runs the place. Like he's got some big important job to take care of, and we all need to listen to him." Joram chuckled. "Maybe in a different dimension." Garrus couldn't help but chuckle at the comment.

"Listen, Joram, I need your help tracking down that human female that was here earlier."

"Yeah I can get you the information of Lieutenant Alenko who took her. He sure seemed bent on getting her bent if you know what I mean." Joram nudged Garrus who was trying his best to maintain a calm composure. "Not even a pity laugh? Oh don't tell me you're a flesh lover now too."

"I'm not asking for your approval, just the information Joram."

"Yeah I always wondered about you and that Shepard. Well what's in this for me? A promotion to get me away from this desk would be nice. Anyone would listen to the 'great Garrus Vakarian.'"

Garrus sighed. "Whatever you want. As long as you give me the information, _and _do what you can to keep The Illusive- uh Harper off of my trail and distracted. The less he's onto me, the better promotion you'll get."

"Now we're in business. I get to annoy Harper _and_ get a promotion. You're alright for a human lover I suppose. Don't get upset when I start an anti human movement, though."

"If you screw this up for me, I will not hesitate to make sure you never see the artificial light of day again. Am I clear?"

Joram's mandibles tightened against his face as a sign of nervousness. "Definitely clear, Garrus. I'll get the information you need right now." He jogged back to his desk and began retrieving any information that would help Garrus.

_Hah. Joram accepted my display of dominance but not the Illusive Man's. If Jane were here, she'd say something like 'Oh Garrus, soon there won't be enough room in the Main Battery for your head.'_ His thoughts lingered on Jane for a moment. _I'm coming for you, Jane. After this I'll never leave your side again._

"Normandy? Garrus here. I'm about to upload some information including the coordinates of Jane's possible location to you."

"Well that was fast! Bet you get that a lot though, huh Garrus."

"When I come back to the Normandy I'll have our girl with me, and you can ask her then, Joker. Garrus out."

…

"Wine, commander?" Kaiden's head peeked from inside the kitchen to look at Jane. He had already set two glasses on the counter and began pouring the first one.

"No, thanks. I really just want to know what the hell is going on, Kaiden." Jane was sitting on the edge of an oversized leather couch in an oversized and over decorated living room, clearly owned by someone with a hefty salary. Jane didn't think the Alliance would pay so well in any dimension, and she wondered where he got this kind of money.

Kaiden pouted his lip and put the empty wine glass back on the rack, joining the other glasses collecting dust. "You want to know what the hell is going on? I rescued you. And I'm rescuing this galaxy. That's what's going on, Jane." He made his way to the living room and sat down beside her on the couch.

"_Rescued_ me?! You sucked me out of my own dimension, my _home_ to bring me here!" Jane was standing now, hands on her head looking at Kaiden with wild eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Harper was going to bring you here anyway, Jane! I just saved you from having to solely answer to him. You can live here with me. I can protect you from the media and the public. I can protect you." Kaiden shook his head while he spoke the last sentence, as if shaking the memory of when he failed to protect her before.

Jane had her index finger pointed inches from Kaiden's face, and her face became almost as bright red as her hair. "Protecting me would have been allowing me to stay in my own damn dimension, Kaiden! But instead your selfishness allowed you to be manipulated by The Illusive Man into thinking you can live this delusional life with me here! How could you have expected me to be okay with this?!"

"Human colonies are being abducted as we speak! Freedom's Progress, Horizon, the whole damn Terminus System is next! And the Council refuses to help. The only person who may have convinced them died. You, Jane." Jane's eyes were still narrowed and she breathed heavily as she continued to listen. Kaiden lowered his voice. "Ambassador Harper came to me with a plan to get you back and I didn't hesitate to sign up. I didn't realize at the time what it would entail, but I missed you so much. To see you again, I…"

Jane managed to lower her voice to a more tolerable level, but was still incredibly frustrated. "You don't think I have shit going on in my own damn dimension? The Reapers are coming, Kaiden! They're coming from dark space and if I don't get back to my dimension they will obliterate the galaxy I live in before anyone can prepare!"

"So you're just going to go back? All of this work to bring you here and you're going to ignore your own race?"

_Oh hell no._

"I went on a suicide mission with my crew to defeat the Collectors!" Jane's voice was booming again. "I can't just come waltzing in to any dimension and destroy their base! Do you know how long it took me to muster up my team and make their heads clear for that mission? For frak's sake I'm only human, Kaiden. I can't save everyone! You don't think I wish I could?" Jane continued to step towards Kaiden as she spoke. "Nobody has the right to steal someone from their own dimension, I don't care what the circumstance. Jack Harper, you, none of you are God. Stop acting like it!" Jane took a few deep breaths and wondered what she was accomplishing by arguing with Kaiden, but she was far too frustrated to care.

Jane's face was inches away from Kaiden, and both refused to back away. He stared at her for a few seconds in silence. He missed her so incredibly much, and was angry at himself for taking her for granted before she died, and angry he had let Jack Harper take advantage of his feelings for Jane to let the situation get this far. The Shepard inches away from him had the same wild look his would get. Kaiden grabbed her face and smashed his lips into hers, unable to control the rush pulsing through his veins.

Jane fought it, but Kaiden had her wrapped in his arms so tightly she couldn't easily escape. Kaiden suddenly stopped and pulled his mouth away from hers. She quickly wiped it profusely, and froze when she saw what stopped Kaiden from kissing her. A bright red dot was focused right on Kaiden's pupil.

"Get down!" He threw himself on top of Jane on the floor behind the couch. Kaiden peeked his head around the couch to see out of the large glass window onto the balcony and saw a tall, looming shadow approaching. A turian.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

"Kaiden who the hell is tapping on the window? Did Harper find us?"

Kaiden relaxed and stood up when he realized who it was. "Garrus. It's always Garrus, isn't it?"

Jane's heart almost lurched out of her throat with excitement as she scurried from behind the couch to the window to see her turian standing tall and proud with a sniper rifle resting on his shoulder.

"Alenko. The window?" Jane stood impatiently while her stomach fluttered with excitement to be reunited with Garrus. Her fury from the argument faded as she locked eyes with her lover.

Kaiden walked over to a control panel on the wall to open the window. "I should have known. Garrus Vakarian. It was always him, wasn't it Jane?" Kaiden stared her down before pressing the button. Jane was done playing Kaiden's games.

"It's been Garrus since our first mission together. Now will you please open the damn window, Kaiden?" Kaiden pressed the button, and the windows slowly opened.

Garrus climbed through and dropped his rifle to catch the woman who was flying into his arms.

"Jane Shepard, remind me never to leave you again." He continued to hold her in his arms as he touched his forehead to hers.

"I figured you had a plan when you left. There's no Shepard without Vakarian."

"Damn right there's not." Jane planted a kiss on Garrus' mandible. As much as he wanted to hold her for the rest of the night, he let her down so he could deal with the other human in the room.

A deep rumble came from Garrus' chest as he eyed Kaiden who was leaning against the wall still next to the control panel. He took a step towards Kaiden, full intentions on punching the bastard, but Jane stopped him. He would have protested, but the wicked look in her eyes told him he didn't have to.

_Slap._

"Dammit Jane, that hurt!" Kaiden held his cheek in his hand and winced until the pain subsided a few moments later. "Guess I may have deserved that."

"Damn right you did. You got away easy with a slap. Next time it'll be my turn, and I'll aim for the implant." Garrus warned, and pointed to his own skull where a cybernetic implant would be. Jane gravitated back towards him, and he wrapped his arms around her so that they were both facing Kaiden.

"We've got a lot to sort out, but what do you say we call it a night? We can meet up first thing tomorrow morning to discuss what we do from here." Jane suggested, her eyelids feeling heavy from the adrenaline wearing off. She just wanted to be alone with Garrus.

"We can meet at the Silver Coast Casino. There are always shady characters hanging out there so we'll blend right in." Kaiden chimed in, feeling slightly more optimistic that Jane wants to meet up with him again.

"0900 by the blackjack tables. Be there _alone._ Don't try anything funny or you won't see me again." Jane raised an eyebrow at Kaiden as she and Garrus headed towards the door.

"Okay, okay, I get it. Go get some rest now." Kaiden watched Garrus scoop up Jane again as they walked towards a C-Sec cruiser.

"Oh don't plan on getting much rest tonight, Jane." Garrus rumbled in her ear. Jane giggled, and felt the best she had since arriving in this dimension. "Let's get you back to the Normandy- I have sort of a bet with Joker on something."


End file.
